That Thing Called Love
by Cynthia Salander
Summary: It was supposed to be a one-time London thing, something that shouldn't have lasted for more than a night. But what made them seek each other out, even when they knew they had everything to lose? Season 5 - Mondler, all the way!
1. Prologue

AN_: __I __know __that __this __has __been __done __to __death, __but __you __know, __it__'__s __Mondler! __So, __this __is __a __series __which __would __cover __the __main __Mondler __moments, __during __the __initial __phase __of __their __relationship __(Season __five __- __more __like __filler __scenes). __I __may __also __follow __it __up __with __an __Epilogue, __depending __on __what __you __think __of __the __first __few __chapters. __Oh, __and __also, __I __will __be __alternating __between __different __POVs __and __narratives __through__out __the __series. __On __with __the __story!_

Disclaimer: I don't own _Friends!_

**That Thing Called Love**

**Prologue**

"I am still on London time, does that count?" She saw hope in his eyes and she knew that he saw it being mirrored in hers.

With a sharp intake of breath, she replied, "oh, that count!" and the next thing she knew was that they were kissing with the longing and frustration of not being able to do this earlier, and with relief, hope and excitement as to where this will lead to. She knew that this is going to lead them to the bedroom right now, but in the longer run?

As his fingers rose to brush against her cheek, she pushed away the lingering questions to the back of her mind and lost herself in the amazing newfound feeling that she experienced whenever she was with him.

Little did they know that this kiss and those eight words would change their lives forever.

~.~.~


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: _Here's the first chapter, and the sentences in Italics are Chandler's thoughts. Enjoy!_

**That Thing Called Love**

**Chapter 1**

Chandler tossed and turned around as his body became accustomed to the feeling of a much softer bed beneath it. Burying his face in the pillow, he became aware of a scent that was very familiar and yet very unsettling.

He opened an eye and saw that he was lying next to Monica, making his stomach do an involuntary flip. He opened his other eye too, and lifted his head to look around the room, seeing that their clothes were scattered all around it. Her dark red dress a bright contrast against the light blue shirt he was wearing the previous evening.

It was nearly 4.15 in the morning and he knew that he should get back to his own apartment, unless he wanted Joey to barge in, enquiring Monica about his whereabouts. They were just lucky to have escaped his attention even the previous evening.

_Come on, who am I kidding? It's Joey! He'll never figure it out in a million years._

_Besides, he must have been more concerned about our underfed poultry and his homesickness to have even noticed the absence of his best friend_, he thought bitterly, even though he knew that he shouldn't be the one to complain.

He tried to get off the bed without waking Monica up, but failed in his efforts.

"Hey." Her sleepy voice made him look at her.

"Hey," he whispered back, bringing an automatic goofy grin to their faces.

_God, she looks beautiful._

"Sleep well?" he asked, lying back on the bed, propping himself on his elbow to look at her. So what if he stayed there a few more minutes, it didn't appear like Joey was missing him.

"Not really." The blush spreading across her cheeks made her look even more beautiful.

_Oh yeah, last night… Boy, was it hot._

He noticed that she was trying to cover herself up by clutching the sheets to her chest and realized that she wouldn't probably be comfortable with his nudity either, which made him check whether he was at least remotely covered at strategic places.

They both became aware of the awkward silence filling the room and he cleared his throat uncomfortably.

_Okay, this 'staying back a few more minutes' plan isn't working too well…_

"So..." they both began simultaneously and were interrupted by the shrill ring of the telephone, which scared them to death.

_Who's calling at 4.20 in the morning?_

"Hello," Monica answered tentatively on the third ring.

"Hold on for a second, Ross," she said, with a terrified expression on her face.

_Ross? Did she say Ross? Because it definitely sounded like she said Ross. What is he doing calling up at 4.20 AM? Isn't he supposed to be on his honeymoon or something?_

"It's Ross!" she whispered to Chandler, covering the mouthpiece with the palm of her hand, while he stared back at her with the same terrified expression. They both knew that their fear was just plain ridiculous, but wasn't exactly a turn on when the best friend, whose little sister you've just slept with, called early in the morning, totally out of the blue.

"Monica, are you still there?" They heard Ross' faint voice through the instrument. Realizing that her brother might find it weird that she hadn't spoken to him for a whole minute, Monica immediately put the phone on speaker and motioned for Chandler to be quiet.

_Yeah, like I'd choose this moment to speak up._

"Yes, Ross. Sorry, just needed a moment to wake up. Is everything ok?" Monica asked, a little out of breath. Ross might have noticed that under normal circumstances, but something really seemed to be bugging him.

"Not really. Mon, I made a mistake. Did Rachel call you?"

_Great, now we're expecting a call from Rachel, too?_

"No, she didn't. Why, what's the matter? What did you do?" Monica asked, her face showing concern.

"It's just… Do you remember how I was telling Mr. Waltham that I'd be waiting for Emily at the airport, to go on our honeymoon?"

"Yeah…"

"While I was there, I saw Rachel. She was on stand-by for a flight to New York."

"Oh… Yeah. I totally forgot about that. Do you have any idea at time I should expect her here?" Monica asked as she met Chandler's eyes. He might have to leave soon.

"Lets see. It must be around 4. 30 on a Saturday morning in New York now, so… she'd probably be there by Friday", replied Ross, sounding guilty.

_What? Friday?_

"WHAT? Why, what happened?" asked Monica, obviously as confused as Chandler was.

This was when Ross presented them with the story of how he'd convinced Rachel to join him on his honeymoon and then left her on the flight to go after Emily. He sounded guilty, but then, it was Ross - he always found the necessity to defend himself, even when he knew what he had done was wrong.

"Ross, you abandoned Rachel on a flight to Athens? What were you thinking?" asked Monica, sounding pissed at her brother.

"Look, I did not abandon Rachel! I just did what I had to do, and I wasn't really thinking anything. I just saw Emily and went after her. You know what, Rachel might understand".

_Dude, dream on!_

"Did you at least catch up with Emily?"

"No… Emily saw Rachel about to go in with me and took off. I am still searching for her. Ok, I've gotta go now. If Rachel calls, tell her that I am sorry. Bye." Ross hung up before he received any judgments about his actions from his sister.

_Leave it to Ross to ruin all his chances with two gorgeous women on the same day._

Monica had a dazed expression on her face from all the information that she'd received in 5 minutes, but they both couldn't help but think, '_if Rachel was gone for a week, then…'._

The problem though was that they hadn't talked about this thing that had been going on between them and they didn't want to talk about it, either. It was all still unclear and fuzzy and they were treading a thin line between friendship and a relationship. It was too soon to call it a relationship and their friendship seemed to be too important to be thrown away just for the sake of a fling. They knew that they had crossed the line enough number of times to safely say that the thing between them was no longer 'just friendship' and never will be again. The classic FWB seemed to be a very attractive option, but they still needed to talk.

_Oh, the awkward silence… I should probably offer to leave now. She might already be regretting doing this again._

_Is this really the end? God, I hope not…_

"I should probably get going. Joey might be up…," said Chandler, even though he knew that Joey wouldn't be out of his bed before 9 AM, even if it's the end of the world. His mind was begging her to tell him to not to leave.

"Oh… I was just hoping that you'd-" Monica's reply was cut off half way through as the phone started to ring again.

_That didn't sound like a 'yes you're right, please leave now' speech!_

"Hello," answered Monica, a little weary from being interrupted every time they tried to talk. She'd turned the speaker on again.

"Hey Mon, it's me," replied Rachel, sounding very dejected.

"Oh honey, how are you? Ross told me everything."

"Oh, he did, did he?" countered Rachel.

_That's one very bitter woman. Good luck to you Ross!_

"Yeah. Sweetie, I am so sorry. Where are you now?" asked a very concerned looking Monica.

_It's sweet how she cares about us all so much_. Chandler couldn't help but smile at her sweetly.

Even though preoccupied with the conversation with Rachel, Monica returned the smile, wondering what had brought it on in the first place.

"I am IN THEIR HONYMOON SUITE," replied Rachel, through her teeth. Just by hearing it, they could imagine her face.

"Anyway, I am drained out, Mon. I contacted the airport and there isn't a flight out from here till Friday. I guess I'll just have to stay here. I call you later. I just… I need to go. Bye." She hung up with that, sounding more despaired than ever.

_Poor Rachel…_

"Poor Rach," said Monica in a thoughtful voice, as their minds returned to their problem.

"Yeah… I should really get going now, Mon. It's nearly 5 o'clock." Chandler couldn't help but notice the wistful look that was directed at him, but Monica finally nodded her assent.

They both got up from the bed and began to get dressed, Chandler into his clothes, Monica into her robe. As they both left the bedroom, he turned around to face her.

_Maybe I should kiss her goodbye… It wasn't this weird even in London. If only she'd say something._

"So, um…" he stammered, not knowing what to say and she seemed to be having some trouble with getting words out, too.

Not knowing what he was asking or why he was asking it, he blurted out, "With Rachel gone for nearly a week now, would you be alone here?"

_For what did I ask her that?_

"Only at night," she replied, a smile flitting across her face.

"Oh… right. Umm… So, I guess I'll see you at breakfast?" he asked, still looking a little nonplussed. She nodded again.

He turned to leave, but he heard her say, "Not if you come over at night".

"What?" He turned around, looking confused.

"I wouldn't be alone here if you come over at night," replied Monica, a shy grin spreading across her face.

_There it is. The official invitation to continue what has been going on between us in two different countries now. The permission to continue being on London time. God, I hope my legs don't involuntarily do their 'happy dance'._

"At night or at nights?" asked Chandler, taking his steps toward Monica, his own grin uncontainable, sliding a hand around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"At nights," she whispered, bringing her arms around his neck, pulling his face down for a kiss.

A soft kiss, turning more passionate as seconds went by, making them pass through the bedroom door, and fall onto the bed.

"Wait, don't we have to talk this through first?" asked Monica, breathlessly, pulling back from his kiss, pinned beneath him.

_Talk? Now? Is she kidding me?_

"Talking is way overrated, Mon," replied Chandler, pulling her up for another kiss.

"I know." She kissed him back with all she had, any thoughts of Ross, Rachel, Emily or Joey, flying right out the widow.

_Not in New York Rule declared null and void._

_~.~.~_

_A/N: Thank you for reading! OK, now that you've read the first chapter, please leave a review. I hate to beg, but I really need to know whether or not I should continue this story._


	3. Chapter 2

AN: _For all those who took the time out to review the previous chapter, Thank You :D Oh, and there are way less interruptions in this one (barely any). For the previous chapter, the R/R interruptions just seemed necessary and that was the only reason I included them. Other than that, I have no particular fondness for them (R/R, I mean)._

_Here's Chapter 2! Italics - Monica's thoughts. This takes place between TOA Ross says Rachel (A few days from where the previous chapter left off) and TOW all the kissing (Just before the bathtub scene)._

**That Thing Called Love**

**Chapter 2**

Five days had gone by in the blink of an eye. Ross had already returned from London since his search for Emily hadn't gone too well and they were expecting Rachel from Athens the next day.

Monica was at work, dicing the vegetables absentmindedly. It was nearly 5 PM and her shift was about to end. Chandler had told her to wait there, so that he could come and pick her up.

He had come by every night to her place since their return from London, thanks to Rachel being gone, and nobody had any clue about them. They'd have to discuss about what they were going to do once Rachel arrived, though.

The hot new romance, the stolen kisses, the hidden touches, secret glances holding the promise for the night to come, they found it all exciting. Moreover, to have this all in the backdrop of the one thing that they cherished the most - their friendship - they found it comforting. She couldn't help but wonder why they hadn't done this for so long. They just seemed to be a perfect fit.

She glanced again at the clock to find that her shift had just ended. She removed her apron, folded it neatly, and then removed the hat, placing them both on the counter.

_I guess he'd be here by now._

She left the kitchen to find Chandler waiting near the entrance. He had probably come directly from work, she guessed, as he was still in his work clothes. He usually came back from work only at around six. She felt a warm glow spreading through her when she realized that he'd left his office soon, for her.

She took quick steps towards him and he finally noticed her. The moment their eyes met, a huge smile spread across their faces and he began walking towards her, too.

They stopped just in front of each other, not sure what to do next. They both wanted to kiss, but were paranoid about kissing in public. So he enveloped her in a tight hug, kissing her cheek softly and then released her to hold her hand in his, leading her out the restaurant.

"How was your day?" he asked once they were outside the restaurant.

"Well, the rush was pretty minimal, it was just relaxed. How was yours?"

"More boring than ever!" he sighed. "I just couldn't wait till I could get off work." She squeezed his hand sympathetically. They both knew that there was a silent '_and see you' _at the end of his sentence, but it just seemed too soon a time to say such things in their relationship, if at all it could be called that. Until this point, they'd just pretended that it was nothing more than sex, but deep down, they both knew that it never would be just sex between them.

The restaurant was only about some twenty minutes walk from their building and they had walked home together numerous times before, but never hand-in-hand. They walked quietly, relishing the cool breeze and their time alone together. As thrilling as the 'keeping it a secret' plan was, it was tough for them to find some time to be alone together except at nights. Now that Rachel was coming back, it was about to get tougher.

"Rachel is coming tomorrow, huh?" he asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Yeah…" she replied, a tone of sadness creeping into her voice. He tugged at her hand pulling her closer to him. She felt guilty about resenting Rachel for her return, but things had been smooth in these past few days and she wanted nothing to change. She knew Chandler had sensed her feelings.

"You know, it's going to be fine. You can always come over to my place, because lets face it, Joey is way easier to handle than Rachel." Upon seeing the doubtful look on her face, he added enthusiastically, "I am sure you're better at the sneaking around thing than I am. In fact, Joey is going out on a date tonight. Why don't you come over? It'll be like practice!" He looked like a little boy about to receive candy. She couldn't help but smile at his excitement.

_Oh, I'd love to kiss you now!_

"You're cute!" she whispered, giggling.

"Is that a yes?" he whispered too, since they were nearing their building.

"Yes."

Once they came near the entrance to their building, he let go of her hand. They knew that at least one of their other three friends would be at her apartment at this time of the day.

They both entered her apartment to find all the three of them sitting there. Joey was all dressed up for his date, with a packet of chips in his hand - _seems about right_. Phoebe was knitting a scarf - _she'd been trying to do that for the past three weeks_ and Ross was on the phone, still trying to get hold of Emily through her relatives in London - _Poor Ross, but he better pay me back for all those calls to London!_

"Hey guys," they both called out and received multiple 'hey' in reply.

"Phoebe, how are we today?" asked Monica as she neared the couch.

"Wow, you sound so much like my obstetrician! That is exactly what she asks before she sticks her hand into my-" Phoebe's reply was interrupted by the sound of a gagging Joey, which in turn resulted in a glare in their general direction from Ross, who was still on the phone, having a heated argument with someone about his actions at the altar and at the airport.

"Pheebs, I think we get the idea," said Chandler, for Joey's sake.

"So Joe, big date huh?" asked Monica.

"Yeah… She's this hot girl I met at an audition. Actually, I should meet her in about half an hour, so I'd better start now," replied Joey picking up his jacket.

"And Chandler, I think I might stay at her place tonight, if things go well," said Joey with a suggestive grin on his face, nodding his head slightly. With that, he left.

_With Joey, such things invariably always go well. Seems like our little 'practice' plan could be put into action tonight, very easily._

"Ok, I am gonna go too. This knitting thing sure drains my energy." Phoebe stood up with difficulty, picking up the knitting needle and the bunch of threads which she called 'scarf'. Chandler and Monica bade her goodbye and watched her leave the apartment.

_Two down, one to go._

Ross finally hung up the phone with a sigh, looking agitated. "Nobody will tell me where she is. As if that's not enough, they expect me to answer questions like why I said another girl's name at the altar and if it's true that I was about to spend my honeymoon with this Rachel person. I mean, come on, if you can't provide me with an answer to my question, at least let me hang the phone up in peace!"

The other two could come up with no soothing comment to his problem, so they resorted to rubbing his shoulder comfortingly.

"Did you talk to Rachel? Is she coming tomorrow?" Ross asked Monica.

"Yeah, she is."

"God, I've no idea how I am going to face her." He ran his fingers through his hair.

"It's gonna be ok, Ross." Chandler patted his shoulder.

"Let's just hope so. Anyway, I am gonna take off now. I told Ben that I'd meet up with him tonight." Ross got up from the couch.

"Bye guys."

"Bye," they said, waiting for the door to close behind him.

They counted to ten before they both stood up and pulled each other closer for a kiss, both elated at being able to do so after about eight hours of waiting.

Chandler pulled back from the kiss, leaning his forehead against hers, and whispered, "You have no idea how long I've been yearning to do that today."

"Oh, I think I do, I really do," Monica whispered back, pulling him in for another kiss, with her hand on his nape. He complied instantly, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her as close as possible to his body.

Their kisses were always hesitant at first, until the first few kisses reminded them of how right it felt. His tongue entered her mouth tentatively, and remained so until her own tangled with his, the passion building fast with each stroke of his tongue against hers.

_This is **so** worth the wait…_

His hands were beneath her shirt and he was backing her towards her bedroom when she remembered their plan from before.

She pulled away from his kiss, reluctantly, and he groaned at the sudden interruption, opening his eyes as if to inquire what was wrong.

"Chandler… Your apartment," she said breathlessly, unable to form a coherent sentence. He stared at her blankly.

"You know, our practice session." She pecked his lips softly. Realization dawned on him, as he finally understood what she was trying to say.

"Oh yeah… Forgot that." He grinned, extracting his hands from under her shirt to entwine them with her hands, pulling her out of apartment 20 and into apartment 19.

He kicked the door shut behind them, gathering her in his arms for a kiss. In twenty seconds, they were both fumbling their way through the living room to his bedroom, finally collapsing on his bed.

_It is all worth the wait._

_~.~.~_

_A/N: Please leave a review :) _


	4. Chapter 3

_AN: This chapter continues from more or less where the last one left off. Italics - Monica's thoughts. This is the complete bathtub scene._

_For all those who reviewed the previous chapter, Thank you! I hope you guys will like this, too. _

_Bingsrule: No offense taken! I mean, that's what reviews and readers are for - Suggestions. I thrive on your views and constructive criticisms. So please don't hesitate to give me your opinions :)_

Disclaimer: Nope, Zilch, nothin', nada.

**That Thing Called Love**

**Chapter 3**

Chandler collapsed next to Monica, wrapping her in his arms, both breathless from their recent exertion, reveling in their sex-induced euphoria.

They never knew sex to be this good before London. They wondered what it was that made it even better than they had ever known it to be. They didn't know whether it was due to the aspect of it being a secret or because of something else that they felt for each other but were reluctant to admit.

Monica was well aware of her character traits. She knew her pluses and minuses from a very young age.

_The result of living with a constantly belittling mother for 18 years._

She knew that spontaneity and impulsiveness were not among those traits. She found herself wondering whether this 'thing' between them had the potential to go any further than what it was now, and whether he even contemplated such a possibility.

She didn't pursue that line of thoughts further, for it seemed too soon a time to be doing that. Besides, she wanted her life, for once, to be not controlled by her. She was developing a strong liking towards both spontaneity and impulsiveness.

Once their breathing returned to their normal states, Chandler bent down to kiss her softly on the lips.

"Wow," he whispered, caressing her back as the kiss ended.

"I know," she whispered back, her skin tingling from his touch.

"What time is it?" she asked a few minutes later, twisting in his embrace to see the clock on his nightstand.

"Must be around 8," he replied, trying to look at his clock, too, and found out that he was actually right.

"So we've been in bed for like two hours now…" she observed, returning her head to his chest, her fingers tracing invisible lines on his arm.

"Guess so."

"You know what I'd love to do now?" she asked, looking up at him.

"I know, Monica, but you've got to let me rest for some time, you know," he replied with a suggestive grin.

"Ha ha, very funny," she said with a laugh, hitting his arm playfully. "I'd love to take a bath. I mean, I didn't even get a chance to wash my face or change my clothes after work."

"Oh… Your clothes are all on the floor, so I don't think you should be complaining about not changing out of them. Besides, this is our last night together before Rachel comes, so don't go now…" he trailed off, his eyes pleading.

_I am not planning to leave anytime soon._

She slid up a few inches on the bed, kissing him sweetly on the mouth.

"I am not leaving, sweetie, I was just thinking, now that Joey is not here, would you be interested in taking a bath with me?" she asked, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"You_ know_ that'd be hard for me to say no to," he replied smiling.

Fifteen minutes later, they both sat down in the bathtub filled with warm water and bubbles, each holding a glass of wine in their hands, the flickering candle light and the aroma of it making the atmosphere more romantic than it already was.

"I haven't had a bubble bath in years, and by years, I mean decades," commented Chandler, as he sat down, feeling Monica's legs slide over his.

"Really? I can't go without one even for a week. It is _so_ relaxing. I mean, isn't _this_ nice?" she asked, sliding her foot up his thigh.

"With you here, it sure is." He smiled. They clinked their glasses before taking a sip from it.

Monica noticed that he had a far-off look on his face and deduced that it was probably due to what her feet were doing under the water. It didn't go unnoticed with her that he looked incredibly cute in the candle light, with the bubbles all around him.

"You look cute in bubble," she said softly, grinning as his left hand found hers beneath the bubbles.

"Eh, you're just all liquored up," he responded with a self-conscious grin, making them both laugh.

_I am gonna kiss you now. Who knows, maybe it'll lead to more._

They both leaned in for a kiss and when their lips were centimeters apart, they heard the knock on the bathroom door, causing them both to draw back.

_Who the hell is that?_

They heard Joey's voice say, "Hey, it's me. I am coming in."

_This cannot be happening. Not now. God, what do I do?_

They were both so shocked at the sudden interruption that all they could do was stare at each other helplessly for a couple of seconds, before Monica's natural instincts took over. She took a deep breath and ducked beneath the bubbles, into the water.

_Whatever you do, do it fast Chandler. I don't want to drown in your bathtub!_

Chandler was left staring at the empty space and was a moment too late to notice that the brim of Monica's glass was still showing through the bubbles, as he tried to spread the bubbles across the water surface. Joey entered a second later, doing a double take as he took in the candles, bubbles, and wine.

"I've had a very long hard day…" Chandler said in an abnormally shaky voice, which Joey might have mistaken to mean that he actually had had a 'very long hard day'.

Joey nodded his understanding, as if to say 'whatever works for you, dude'.

_Just a little while longer. I can do this! What is Joey doing here anyway? Isn't he supposed to be on a date? God, all I can hear is muffled voices._

"You're home early?" Chandler noted with a hint of curiosity.

"Yeah, my date threw up…," Joey shrugged, indicating that he had no idea how that'd happened. Chandler shrugged back, his face clearly showing that he was utterly uncomfortable with the whole situation. Anyone other than Joey would have noticed that.

_Get him out of here, Chandler! Fast!_

"I am gonna get some chicken, you want some?" Joey asked, being the caring, considerate roommate that he was.

"Ah, no thanks, no chicken, buh-bye then," Chandler nodded curtly, with a smile. There was nothing much he could come up with, with a drowning Monica right next to him.

"Okay," said Joey, and Chandler was relieved when his best friend turned to leave the bathroom, but his relief was short-lived when Joey turned back again, quickly.

"You sure? Some extra crispy? Dirty rice? Beans?" he asked again to make sure.

_My lungs should burst any second now!_

Chandler felt Monica pinch his leg lightly, to signal to him that she had reached a point where she cannot hold her breath for much longer. He had to get Joey out of the bathroom, soon.

"For the last time, NO! Get out! Get out, Joey!" he yelled. He was never good under pressure.

"Okay!" said Joey, giving one last _what's up with him _look.

The second she heard the door close, Monica came up for air.

"Are you okay? I am _so _sorry. He wouldn't leave. He kept asking me if I wanted chicken!" said Chandler, concern lining his face.

"Chicken?" Monica looked at the door longingly. She hadn't eaten anything in hours.

_Chicken wouldn't be such a bad idea._

"I can eat some chicken…," she admitted, her stomach growling even at the prospect of food.

"Hey, Joe!" Chandler yelled to call his friend, so that he'd hear it through the closed door. He watched Monica take a deep breath and duck into the water, again.

Joey came back in instantly, with an inquiring look on his face.

"Yeah, can I get a 3-piece, some Coleslaw, and some beans, and a Coke-" Chandler's statement was cut halfway through when he felt Monica pinch his thigh with much more intensity than the last time.

_Coke? Always get a diet coke! Doesn't he know me at all?_

"Aaaah aaah aaah aaah!" he yelped in pain, before adding "diet coke" and nodding his head to convey to Joey that that was all he wanted.

_That's more like it…_

Joey gave him a thumbs-up before leaving out the door to place the order, not even giving a second thought as to what all the shouting was about.

Monica heard the door close again and came back up from under the water.

"Hey! That was really mean!" cried Chandler, with an accusing glare, rubbing the sore spot.

"I am sorry sweetie, but I had to get your attention!" She smiled, placing her hand over his.

"There are other ways to do that, you know…" He looked a little mollified.

"Yeah, I guess I just need more practice." She leaned in to kiss him.

Within a few seconds, they were in the middle of a very passionate embrace and a flurry of kisses. He pulled back to look at her. "This might be even harder to explain, should he come in again."

"I think we'll manage…" she mumbled against his lips before crashing down on them with her own.

As it got more heated, she felt Chandler pull back again.

_God, why does he keep breaking the kiss!_

"What's wrong?" She drew back, too.

"Mon, I don't think we should do this now," he whispered, looking uncomfortable.

"Why not?" She was curious.

_He's ready to do it, with my brother in the next room, but won't do it, with **Joey** in the next room?_

"It's just…" he trailed off, looking even more uncomfortable.

"Chandler,"

"It's just, I am not comfortable with having sex here," he said quietly, not quite meeting her eyes.

Something about his demeanor made her smile, but she was still intrigued by his confession.

"Because it's slippery…?" she asked him, for she could think of no other reason why he wouldn't want do it in the bathroom. She sat on the other end of the tub, much like how they had at first.

"Well…"

"Oh, come on!"

"This is where people make number twos!" he cried, still keeping his voice low, very much aware of Joey's presence in the apartment.

She stared at him, unable to form a response. That, she wasn't expecting.

Once it sunk in, she giggled, as he looked at her defensively.

"C'mon, think about it, would you rather have sex with someone in some place romantic or in a place where people relieve their bowels?" He knew that would work on her. There was nothing that could possibly disgust her more and for once, he was glad that she had her own share of little obsessive things, so that she wouldn't judge him for his.

_That is disgusting! Way to ruin the mood, Chandler..._

"Okay, that's like one of the most disgusting things I've ever heard. Anyway, you're right. I would never probably have sex in a bathroom, ever again," she replied, shaking her head lightly.

He smiled at her. He knew her too well.

Since he had successfully managed to diffuse the romantic mood, they both sat at their respective ends of the bathtub, wondering how they were going to leave the bathroom without Joey noticing.

"You know, since Joey is right outside, how are we gonna get me out of here?" she asked him, a minute later. She didn't have many ideas. Since he knew Joey's habits better, she wondered whether he did.

Before he could answer, they heard Joey knock the door again, "Dude, the food should be here any minute now. I am gonna go down to the coffeehouse for a bit, I think I left my wallet there. Not that it has any money in it, but it has those condoms I bought this afternoon, you know for tonight with that girl Jessica. Man, I still cannot believe she threw up! I still cannot believe that I saw her throw up…" he rambled on.

_Joey, you're getting side-tracked._

Chandler rolled his eyes, "Joey, Joey!" he called out.

He abruptly stopped his rambling. "Yeah?"

"Do you want me to get the food, if you're not here?" Chandler asked hopefully.

_There might be a way for me to sneak out._

"Yeah, and Chandler, are you alright? You've been in there for ages! I know you have a different way of doing things, but even for you, candles and bubble bath are a li-" Joey began in a really worried voice.

"Joey, I am fine! Just go get your wallet. I'll be out in a minute. I'll get the food." Chandler cut Joey off before he dragged his masculinity into the conversation. It was bad enough that most of his friends still thought he was effeminate, and it wouldn't do his ego any good if he let Joey continue the conversation in front of Monica.

"If you're sure."

"I am sure. Just go now!" Chandler yelled again, trying to speed up the whole process.

"Fine!" Joey said, muttering "God knows what's wrong with him," as he went out the door, slamming it hard.

Chandler immediately got out of the bathtub and extended a hand toward Monica pulling her out, too.

"Okay, we have to be quick," he whispered, although he didn't know why he was whispering.

They grabbed their robes from behind the door, hers beneath his, which she had brought from her apartment before drawing the bath. He turned to drain off the water in the tub.

"What about the candles?" she asked, looking a bit hesitant to leave out the door.

_Does he really expect me to leave it like this?_

"I'll take care of it, Monica." He opened the bathroom door to leave. "Just go now, go get dressed and come back." He held the door to his apartment open. She nodded and started to leave.

He caught her by her ankle just as she placed a foot out the threshold, pulling her towards him, holding her close to him. "Hey, don't take too long, though," he murmured with a slight grin, their faces inches apart.

"Why not?" she whispered back, a grin forming on her face, drawing herself closer to him as she pushed his back against the doorframe.

"Because…" he trailed off, placing a small kiss on her lips and leaning his forehead against hers, "because, then you may have to eat a cold chicken."

She chuckled. She'd expected him to say something silly, and there it was. "Or no chicken, because Joey might eat it all, so I'd better hurry up." She kissed him softly and pulled herself from his embrace.

He watched her leave his apartment and enter hers, the smile on his face unwavering.

If he didn't figure out a way to hide his happiness when she was around, he was going to have a hard time answering his friends' questions.

~.~.~

_A/N: Man, that was long! OK, I know I say this at the end of each and every chapter in both my fics, but please review. The response that I received for the previous chapter was just lukewarm, so I really need to know that I am not wasting my time writing a story that nobody cares about. It bugs me that I get a 100 visitors for each of my chapters, but just 3 reviews. And people who've subscribed to my fics, I really appreciate it, but I'd appreciate it even more if you could tell me your opinion on them._

_So if there are any Mondler fans out there, who are still reading this story, please let me know whether or not you're interested in this, and whether or not I should continue. That's the only favor I am asking of you._


	5. Chapter 4

_A/N: Thank you for the great response to the previous chapter! I really appreciate the fact that you took the time out to let me know that you're still interested in this story. Keep the same number of reviews coming in, and you'll be receiving regular updates from me :)_

_And it appears like this story just might go on forever! I am a sap for romance, and as long as I am writing this story, there'd be no shortage for romance in it :D_

_I want to take this fic real nice and slow._

_I wrote this chapter in a hurry, but this is just to fill the gap between the bathtub scene and all the kissing scenes from the episode 'TOW all the kissing'. Monica's thoughts - Italics. The next two chapters will deal with the rest of the episode (So now do you believe that this series is going to be really really looong?)._

**That Thing Called Love**

**Chapter 4**

Chandler returned to the living room from his bedroom, few minutes later, wearing boxers and a T shirt, and heard footsteps outside the door. Just as he was about to guess who it was, Joey entered.

"Hey, got my wallet back. It was right there on the couch and all my condoms are safe," said Joey, obviously pleased to find that his condoms were all safe.

"Good to know," Chandler nodded, looking a little preoccupied since he was waiting for Monica to return.

There was a knock on the door and Joey turned around to open the door, saying "That must be the food." Right on money.

He paid the money for it and just as he was about to close the door, the door to apartment 20 opened, revealing a pajama-clad Monica.

"Oh hey, Mon!" Joey greeted her with a smile as she entered their apartment.

"Hey Joe, how was your date?" she asked, knowing fully well what she was getting herself into, and thus began Joey, on how his date had been ruined because the girl had thrown up her entire food.

_Wow! He gets really whiny when deprived of sex even for one night!_

She turned to look at Chandler who was watching his best friend with amusement.

Finally, the food in Joey's hand grabbed her attention. "Ooh, food!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, we got some chicken, you want some?" Chandler played along, as Joey set it down, opening the cartons, pushing a small number of it towards Chandler and pulling the rest towards himself.

He pointed to the smaller pile saying, "Those are what you ordered, Chandler. Help yourself, Mon!" before he got engrossed in the contents of his cartons.

_Oh yeah, Joey doesn't share food._

Monica smiled, shaking her head at Joey's antics. "Thanks, Joey." She began digging into the container next to Chandler.

Once he finished his dinner, Joey got up from behind the counter.

"Guys, I am gonna sleep. What are you two planning to do?"

_I don't think he'll be very thrilled to hear what we're planning to do._

"Nothing, just hang out for a while before we go to sleep," Chandler replied, looking at Monica with a slight smile. She tried to keep a straight face as she fought off the smile forming on her face, the word _we _resonating in her brain.

"Okay then, goodnight! I'll see you guys tomorrow." With that, he left for his bedroom.

"So, what do you wanna do?" Chandler asked her a moment later, hopping off the green stool and pulling her with him as he sat down on his Barca Lounger. She resisted when he tried to pull her onto his lap, casting a doubtful glance towards Joey's bedroom.

He followed her gaze, before commenting, "Joey sleeps through the night, unless, of course, he has a date." He made a face at that, evoking a laugh from her.

He tried pulling her onto his lap, again, and succeeded as she put up no resistance this time. Her arms went around his neck instinctively and she laid her head on his shoulder, as he wrapped his hands loosely around her waist.

"I was thinking maybe a crossword puzzle…" she said, in answer to his previous question.

"What?" He'd lost the thread of the conversation.

"I thought maybe we could do a crossword puzzle," she explained, nuzzling his neck.

He pulled back to look at her with an incredulous expression on his face. "We have one last night together before Rachel returns and you want to do a _crossword puzzle_?"

_What exactly does he want me to say - "Let's do it right here on this chair!"? Besides why is he asking me if he already knows what he wants to do?_

"I thought it might be fun!" Monica exclaimed and off Chandler's look she added quietly, "I kinda feel uncomfortable with the idea of having Joey in the next room while we… you know. I mean, as long as Rachel isn't here, why can't just go to my place?"

He understood her discomfort. He didn't care where he spent the night, just as long as he spent it with her. And she was right, as always. They could make maximum use of Rachel's absence for the one last time.

"You're right," he stated with a smile.

_Duh!_

"Let's go to your place," he added, grinning wider. She smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek before she got off his lap and offered him her hand, which he accepted.

He stood up and glanced at Joey's door for a second, and then looked back at her. "Should I check?"

She nodded. "Probably."

He went to Joey's door and opened it slowly, noiselessly, and closed it back again, looking at her. "Yeah, we're good for tonight." He grinned.

_Oh, good…_

She grinned back at him, and held out her hand again for him. "We'd better hurry up then."

He took her hand and as they neared the door, he flicked the light switch off, following her out the door and closing it gently behind him.

They entered her apartment just as he leaned down to kiss her. Not even bothering to turn the lights on, they fumbled their way to the couch, not quite able to make it to the bedroom.

Their friends may be coming in for breakfast the next day, Rachel may come back tomorrow, but they were good for tonight.

~.~.~

_A/N: That was a little shorter than I intended, but please bear with me. I promise the next chapter will be much longer. Although, I have to warn you, it might take me a week or two to post it. It's only the first week of November, but my brain is already getting crammed with stuffs that I need to do. Anyway, please review. That might make me revise my priority list ;)_


	6. Chapter 5

_A/N: Thank you for the reviews. _

_This part deals with half of "TOW all the kissing". Italics - Chandler's thoughts. _

**That Thing Called Love**

**Chapter 5**

Joey had come in along with Chandler, to Monica's place, for their breakfast. Then Phoebe and Ross had come in, followed by Joey's departure to some British pub near the Trade Center in order to find some 'Boddingtons'. Rachel had arrived a few minutes later, from her _trip _to Athens, appearing as if she'd forgiven Ross, but not quite so.

Chandler had sneaked back to his apartment at around 5 o'clock that morning and it was now nearing 8 AM. Both Monica and Chandler hadn't got to sleep too well during these past few days, but they didn't mind. Sleep could always wait.

This was what it had been like, since their return from London. Chandler would come in along with Joey for breakfast. The three of them would eat and during most days, Phoebe or Ross, sometimes both, would join them. Once they finished their breakfast, Chandler and Monica would wait till the others left, dragging out the whole dish-washing process, in order to kiss each other goodbye.

Not that the world would end if they didn't kiss goodbye, but it felt good when they kissed, and not just in the physical sense. It felt like securing a piece of their fledging relationship, even though neither would admit that a relationship was developing. This thing between them was only about sex, and it should remain so, unless they wanted to complicate the whole scenario.

That's what he'd done. He'd kissed her without realizing that their two friends were still in the apartment. Kissing her before he left for work had more or less become a routine for him, a routine that he loved to follow. He was pretty sure that Monica hadn't realized their blunder, either, until their lips parted. Their world stopped spinning every time they kissed, but this _so_ was not the moment it should have stopped.

He drew back from the kiss, from her lips that he'd grown to love, smiling at her. She returned his smile, but it disappeared from their faces just as quickly as it had formed.

He had a shocked expression on his face, while she sat there, biting her nails, not knowing what to do.

_Do something rash, something to throw them off the track._

He did what first came to his mind. He moved towards Rachel, who was staring at him like he was an alien in Chandler's form. "And Rachel, great to have you back."

Before she could register what was happening, he tilted her face towards his and pressed his lips against hers, while she sat there frigid, her eyes wide with shock.

He pulled back from her and moved on to his next victim. "Pheebs!" And Phoebe was left looking just as shocked, as the kiss ended.

He made his way to the door, claiming that it was 'Always a pleasure!', while the three women sat there, sharing perplexed looks.

Once outside the apartment, he leaned against the door, heavily, trying to calm his nerves.

_That was close!_

But he knew what he had with Monica, was worth all the risks. He smiled thinking the conversation that the other two women would have with Monica, about what was wrong with him, and wondered how she was going to handle it.

_On the bright side, I've never kissed three women on the same day in my entire life!_

~.~

They met outside the coffeehouse during his lunch break. She had the day off. He led her into the coffeehouse by taking her elbow, both hoping that none of their friends would be in there to ruin their few moments of privacy.

They got their coffees and went straight to the orange couch, as Monica took out a photo album from her purse. "Got our photos from London." She grinned at him.

He grinned back. He had a faint idea as to why she was so happy about the photographs. Because this would be the first record of them being something of a couple. As much as he wanted to push away such feelings, he couldn't help but share her enthusiasm.

She opened the album, pulling out the pictures carefully, since they hadn't been placed in the sleeve of the album yet, and were all loose.

The first photo was that of Ross, Emily and their parents, taken in the wedding chapel.

_They all look so happy. Guess it was taken before the 'I take thee Rachel' fiasco._

The second was that of Emily and her bridesmaids, which included Monica and the girl that Joey had hooked up with.

Without giving much thought to what he was doing, he placed his little finger on the photo, tracing an outline of Monica's image, a slight smile playing on his lips. For once, Monica didn't protest about 'finger smudging the photograph'. But as his eyes met hers, he drew back his finger hastily, and they both looked away.

The next photo was that of him and her standing in front of the buffet table, him waving the gravy spoon in the air, she looking at him hopefully. "Huh," Chandler smiled looking at it, with a curious look on his face.

Monica glanced up at him, to see that he was looking at her. "Guess it was taken when we made up the 'Not in New York rule'." She smiled at him.

"Yeah… So much for that rule," he chuckled, his fingers grazing against hers that were not holding the photographs. Looking at each other wistfully, wishing they could kiss at that moment, they leaned in slightly, but jumped apart the instant they heard Joey and Rachel behind them.

"Hey," chorused Rachel and Joey. Chandler moved closer to Monica as Joey sat next to him, and Rachel sat on the chair next to Monica.

_There goes our few moments of privacy._

They were joined by Phoebe a few minutes later, within which time, Monica's incessant pleas to be careful with the photographs had resulted in Rachel licking the photo.

Phoebe, irked to the core by the ceaseless recap of how much fun the other four had had in London, even went to the extent of drawing a stick figure of herself with a permanent marker in one of the photographs.

Monica, having had enough already, suggested that Phoebe should close her eyes and think what a 'wonderful gift life is' in order to overcome any feeling of pessimism towards life. While she did that, Monica quickly grabbed the pictures from her side and put them away in her purse. Chandler sat there, smirking.

Rachel who'd gone to talk with some guy with whom she'd flirted at the counter long back, returned, pleased with herself. "Got myself a date tomorrow night."

Monica, pleased as always on hearing that her advice had helped someone, smiled smugly. "See, didn't I tell you, you're getting over Ross already!"

Rachel smiled back. "Ok, so anyone up for a movie this evening?"

As Joey and Phoebe nodded their assent, Chandler replied immediately, his gaze lingering on Monica. "I have loads of work to do. I should, um… I should actually get back to my office now." He glanced at his watch. He did have a lot of work to be done, but if he wasn't going to be doing that, he'd rather spend some time with Monica than watch a movie.

"Yeah, I have a lot to do, too, Rach. Sorry." Monica said, trying not to meet Rachel's eyes.

_Wow, she sucks at lying. Mon, sweetie, if you wanna keep up with this whole sneaking around thing, you're gonna have to get better at lying._

"What work do you have? Come on, it's your day off!" Rachel got off the armrest of the sofa, motioning for the other three on the sofa to move over, squeezing against one another, as she sat next to Monica.

_Can't she see that there's a perfectly good, vacant chair to her right? Guess I shouldn't be complaining, though._

Chandler draped his arm across the back of the couch around Monica, not quite touching her, but that was the best he could do when they were in public.

One of the good things about their friendship was, they'd always been close, both emotionally and physically. It was something that trust and mutual liking had done to them over the years. During the past few years, both Chandler and Monica had had to explain to innumerable strangers that they weren't a couple, for which they'd received many weird looks in return. As far as their friends were concerned, they'd never given it a second thought. That's the way they had been ever since they'd known Chandler and Monica together.

Of course, Ross, being the over-protective big brother that he was, had had some issues with their intimacy initially, during their college days, but had relented once he learned that there was nothing romantic going on. Chandler wondered how he'd react now, if he learnt what was happening.

_That's one of the reasons why we're keeping it a secret._

"I have to… I have some laundry to do!" Monica resisted the urge to add 'HA' to her sentence.

_Laundry? That's the best you could come up with?_

As the others looked at her incredulously, Monica sat there oblivious to the stares that she was receiving.

"You won't come to the movies because you wanna do 'Laundry'?" Rachel asked her, her voice giving away as to how she didn't believe a word of it.

_I'll have to jump in here._

"Well Rach, you know Mon, Laundry is never _just laundry_ when it comes to her…" He knew it was true and so did the others.

Rachel shrugged, agreeing, but Monica glared at him. "Didn't you say you have to get back to your office? _Now?_" Her meaningful glare was all it took for him to get himself off the couch.

_Okay, I don't think I am very fond of that particular look._

"I'll see you guys later. Have fun at the movies," he said, looking at the other three. "And you, have fun doing laundry." He smiled at Monica and turned to leave.

He was near the door when he heard Monica call out for him. "Hey Chandler, about those white-outs that you said you'd get me. Just a sec, I'll come over there."

_Seriously? White-outs? I've really got to teach this woman the basics of lying._

She came towards him, smiling, while he maintained his stoic expression. Once they were both out the door, he couldn't hide the smile any longer. "Mon, we've really, _really _gotta work on your lying skills."

She smiled in return and grabbed his hand after looking through the glass door to make sure that none of their friends were looking at them, and pulled him along with her to the other side of Central Perk, where nothing would be visible from the inside. "Well, I've been busy doing something else during my spare time these days, but I guess I could allocate some time for that, too." She grinned at him.

"No, no. That's fine. Please continue doing whatever you were doing. We can always work on your lying some time later." He grinned back, pulling her a little closer after making sure that none of their friends had come out.

They grinned at each other like a pair idiots, until Monica looked away, smiling. "Anyway, I just came to ask you when you'd be back from work."

_She knows my work timings perfectly well, why is she asking me this?_

She continued before he could reply. "I know you'd be back at around six, but I was just wondering, could you try to come home a little early today? Since the others are going to the movie, I thought we'd be able to spend some time alone together and also figure out our _sleeping arrangement_."

She still didn't meet his eyes. It was the first time she'd directly asked him to spend more time with her. Despite the alarm that was going off in his brain – it always went off when he felt something evoking a feeling of rightness in a relationship – he couldn't help but relish the sense of happiness that washed over him.

He wished she'd meet his eyes, but her gaze was fixed on a spot on the pavement, her soft smile still in place. "I really do have a lot of work to do, but I'll try to get out of it as soon as I can." He said softly.

She finally looked up at him. "Great." She nodded, smiling.

Chandler lifted his left hand to brush a stray strand of her raven black hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. "See you soon, Mon." He whispered.

Monica glanced down at their still entwined hands and so did he. As he turned to leave again, he tugged at her hand lightly, before letting her go, not very much unlike a pinky swear, only this involved all of their ten fingers.

As he turned around the corner, all that his mind was fixated on was the smile on her face and his rapidly beating heart.

~.~.~

_A/N: To Be Continued? (That's a question for you, let me know.)_


	7. Chapter 6

_A/N: **mygh91, gAnGsTa GaBbY lOvEs JoKeR , Mincheder, Veridissima, dancer cherrybug, lainel & Rawr Olivia Grace: **Thank you for reviewing! Your reviews are the only things that motivate me to write :)_

_**Jenn: **Thank you for reviewing, and thank you for your suggestion, but I just think it's too soon for them to be discussing their relationship with other people. In the later chapters, there'd definitely be stuffs that you haven't seen on TV._

**_Nicole: _**_"I always wished I could cut all the other storylines out of Season 5 and just have episodes full of Chandler/Monica relationship." This is **EXACTLY **how I feel! Thank you for reviewing. I hope this story meets your expectation :)_

_This chapter covers from where the previous one left off, till the day before Phoebe goes into labor. I always thought the episode covered three days (The bathtub scene, the "European goodbye thing" and Phoebe's water breaking) and based on that assumption, I've written this chapter. Italics - Chandler's thoughts._

**That Thing Called Love**

**Chapter 6**

It was no secret to the world that Chandler Bing hated his job. He knew, his friends knew, his colleagues knew, and even his boss knew (at least, to a certain extent).

Monica had constantly reminded him in the past few years that it was supposed to only be a temp job, but he had put up with it for eight years. The only reason he'd taken it all those years back was because he had a knack for numbers. That's what he'd tell people when they asked, but there were many layers to the truth.

Initially, it had been about the sense of freedom and independence that he had felt for the first time as a youngster who held his first offer letter in his hand. The initial buzz wore off, and then came the 'security' factor.

Chandler had very few things in his life that he felt secure about. Insecurity was a constant all through his life. He considered it to be his personal nemesis, and he had no idea how to slay it. His job, even though he considered it to be boring, was one of the few things in his life that he felt secure about. His friends knew this, and that was one of the main reasons why they didn't push him too hard to find a job that he'd love to do. Besides, it paid him really well.

And thirdly, finally, there was a reason that no one knew about. It was something that he denied even to his conscience. He was good at writing. Much like how he had a knack for numbers, he had a knack for words, too. He knew he'd excel at any job that'd require his writing skills, but he was reluctant to follow that path because that'd prove that he had something in common with at least one of his parents.

That was the last thing that he wanted – to be like his parents.

Now he sat there in his office, repeatedly stroking his forehead with his fingers, waiting for his assistant to bring him the weekly statistics reports, wishing for the umpteenth time that he'd had the guts to quit his stupid job.

_At least you could have called in sick, this morning._

His conscience sure did know a lot about the concept of 'if only'. He stared at the clock longingly and saw that it was now nearing seven. And he'd told Monica that he'd try to get off work before six. It was times like these when wondered whether fate went out of its way to sabotage his love life.

He pressed the intercom button. "Helen, could you **please **bring the reports any faster? Or could you tell Doug that I've had an intense asthma attack and have been admitted to the hospital?"

He waited for a few seconds but heard no reply.

_She must have gone to get the print-outs._

Just as the idea of sneaking out of the office entered his mind, he heard the cursory knock on the door.

"Come in." He sat drumming his fingers on the table, his impatience, very evident.

Helen entered carrying a pile of papers as high as her neck. She placed them on his table with a thud. "Sorry, Mr. Bing. Some problem with the printer," she said in the most unapologetic voice.

She turned on her heel and exited his office, leaving him staring at the pile, dumbfounded.

Sure he'd been working there for eight years, but it still amazed him when he saw the height of the weekly reports pile, every week. He went through three files, his mind still on the fact that Monica would be waiting for him. On opening the fourth file, he knew that it wasn't worth it.

_Besides, it's not fair to the company if I am not fully concentrating on my job!_

_Yeah right..._

He closed the file, placed it in his briefcase, and went outside to see that Helen was still at her desk. "Helen, I've taken the files with me. I'll go through it at home. Oh, and I think I am coming down with something. So I guess I won't be coming tomorrow."

_It's always best to let people know, beforehand. Even if you're lying. God, I hope she doesn't figure that out, though._

She looked up at him from the papers in front of her, as he turned to leave.

"Mr. Bing?"

"Yes, Helen." He didn't even try to hide the exasperation in his voice.

"It's Saturday tomorrow."

_Oh._

~.~

He walked up the stairs in his building as fast as he could, hoping that his friends wouldn't have returned from the movie. He knew that Ross wouldn't be there, and he wondered how his 'seventy two long-stemmed red roses, one for each day that he'd known and loved Emily' plan had gone.

He opened the door to his apartment and threw the briefcase on the counter, not caring about its contents that were spilling out.

He closed the door as he made his way to the girls' apartment in a hurry. Monica was a fan of punctuality, and he was sure that she wouldn't be thrilled with his late arrival. But as he entered her apartment, he was pleasantly surprised to see her patiently waiting for him in the living room.

Their faces splitting into wide smiles, he reached for her in a flash, his lips colliding with hers in a deep kiss, sending a surge of arousal and longing for her through him. With the fingers on one hand tangled in her hair, his other hand was firm on her waist. Her hands reached up to frame his face.

_God, I missed this…_

Their kisses slowed down as they pulled apart slightly, their lips meeting in two little after-kisses. She drew back to look at him, her eyes filled with desire. She whispered, her voice breathless. "What took you so long?"

"I got caught up at work, but I a quitting tomorrow," he whispered, just as breathless.

Their lips met again, the sense of urgency evident in the kiss. He turned her around, with their lips still fused together, such that he was facing the door. They swayed slightly on the spot, as he backed her towards the couch, both of them slowly losing their grasp on reality, adrenaline pumping through their veins.

_So it's going to be the couch again?_

_What was that noise? Sounded like somebody walked in…_

_Oh my god!_

Chandler's eyes flew open as he realized that Phoebe, Rachel and Joey had walked in. He pushed Monica away from him, leaving her looking at him confused.

_She hadn't realized it yet._

"So, thanks for having me over!" He wiped his lips discreetly with the back of his hand, for a second wondering what he was going to do.

_Ok, here we go again._

He went over to Rachel, grabbed her before she could respond and kissed her, leaving her clueless.

_Moving on to Phoebe. Wow, that's a really huge stomach._

He glanced down, trying to figure out a way around it and grabbed her as well, kissing her. He moved away from her, patting her lightly on the shoulder.

As he reached the door, Joey jumped out of his way, saying, "See ya!"

_This is turning out to be a really weird day._

He entered his apartment, when he vaguely heard Monica explaining to the girls that it was some 'European goodbye thing that he'd picked up in London.'

_That's a better lie._

He wasn't sure about the 'European goodbye thing', but he'd definitely found something else that was far more valuable, in London.

~.~

Later that night, they both lay in his bed - a mutual decision that they'd reached once the point of how Joey would be far easier to handle, was made.

He was spooning her, their hands entwined, his fingers playing with hers.

After a long period of silence, she finally spoke up. She talked softly so that Joey wouldn't hear them. "You know, both Rachel and Phoebe were totally shocked that you kissed them."

He chuckled. "Not shocked, Mon. I think grossed-out would be more like it. And from what you said in the coffeehouse, you were, too."

She turned around in his arms. "No. They weren't really grossed-out. They were just… disturbed, I guess. But, Phoebe even commented that it didn't really surprise her, since she'd always known that you've had a crush on her."

_Yeah, well, I have a crush on **you **now. What you gonna do about that?_

"Yeah, I've always had a crush on her," he nodded solemnly, earning a kick in the shin, from her.

"Ok, ok, I swear, there's no one other than you," he laughed, kissing her lightly.

"Not even Joey?" she asked him, a playful glint in her eyes.

"Funny you should say that. Ever since the whole kissing thing, he'd been very careful with me. Whenever I go near him, he jumps out of the way, saying, 'Hey, hey, this is not Europe and we're not saying goodbye.'"

She giggled at that and they stayed silent for a while. As they were about to fall asleep, she whispered slowly. "You know I wasn't telling the truth when I said I feel like puking, whenever you kiss me, right?"

"Yeah, I was hoping it wasn't true," he murmured against her hair.

"No, it's not true. Actually, it's the best feeling I've had in a very long while." She raised her head to look into his eyes. "Kissing you, I mean."

He smiled at her widely, his heart doing a somersault at her words, at how nervous she looked. "Well, that's a good thing, because, I love kissing you. In fact," he leaned in and brushed his lips across hers, once, twice. The third time, she pushed herself up such that she was lying half on top of him, and kissed him deeply before drawing back, exhaling slowly, relishing their intimacy.

"Yeah, I love it that much, too," she breathed against his lips, her eyes still closed.

He kissed her forehead as she laid her head on his chest, both of them completely content.

_Yes. It's definitely the best feeling I've had in a very long time._

_~.~.~_

_A/N: That was like the sappiest thing I've ever written! _

_Liked it? Hated it? Please let me know. If you do that, as Monica would say it, "You are SO going to Heaven!" ;)_


	8. Chapter 7

_A/N: Thank you for the wonderful reviews!_

_This takes place during 'TO hundredth'. I have no idea how long it takes to recuperate from a kidney stone removal procedure, but I am assuming, since it was a non-invasive one, that Joey went home the very same night. _

Disclaimer: I don't own _Friends, _nor do I own the lines from the show.

**That Thing Called Love**

**Chapter 7**

"Hey, what took you guys so long? Your cab left when ours did!" Ross looked at his sister and his best friend inquisitively. There was nothing that could have possibly caused a good fifteen minutes delay in their arrival.

Monica turned to Chandler, hoping that he might come up with a plausible reason or at least provide her with a sudden burst of inspiration, to come up with one, herself.

Who knew wedged between a wall and Chandler could be so engaging that she could lose all track of time? She was just thankful for Mr. Treeger's sudden interruption, which sped up the process of them getting to the hospital, even though they were already late.

With Chandler providing none of the required inspiration or the plausible reason, she turned to look at the four curious faces. Looking at Ross, she knew he wouldn't probably appreciate it very much if she told him that they'd returned to the building and made out in the hallway. In fact, she could almost hear Chandler's brain scream '_Beware of 'Red Ross''. _

Since the four were still staring at them, she blurted out a lame reason, before she could think it through. "We-we had to go back because I forgot my jacket."

They both failed to notice the weird looks they were receiving, and they also failed to notice the potential flaw in her statement. If you'd gone back to your apartment to get your jacket and have arrived fifteen minutes late because of that, you should at least be wearing it.

As they stood oblivious to the odd looks that were directed at them, Rachel voiced her doubt regarding the situation. "You're not wearing a jacket."

Monica glanced down, realizing that it was indeed true. She threw her hands up in the air, exclaiming "Oh man! I did it again!" as Chandler shrugged helplessly.

If they wanted to continue with the whole 'keeping it a secret' concept, they'll have to come up with better lies, she concluded in her mind, as they all helped Phoebe to her feet in order to get her to the delivery room.

~.~

Monica sat down next to Joey, both of them sipping their hospital coffees from Styrofoam cups. Straight ahead, she could see Chandler having an animated conversation with someone on the phone. She wondered who he was talking to. He didn't even have work that day.

He smiled at something that the person on the other end of the conversation was saying, his eyes crinkling in that adorable way of his, which always made her smile back. She smiled looking at him before she took another sip of her rather bitter tasting coffee.

Her attention turned towards Joey as he yelped in pain again, holding his back with his left hand. "Alright there, Joe?" she asked him in concern, rubbing his arm lightly. His pain or rather 'sympathy pains', as Phoebe referred to it, was getting ridiculous. He was obviously under immense pain, and it was becoming more frequent. One more time, and she'd definitely make him consult a doctor.

As the pain gradually faded to a dull throb, Joey nodded slowly. "Yeah… I guess it's a good thing we're in a hospital." He smiled at her, as he went back to drinking his coffee.

She smiled back at him before she leaned back in her seat, sipping her coffee again.

A moment later, a very happy looking Rachel walked towards them, looking at Monica. "Monica? You're gonna be very proud of me. I just got us dates with two _unbelievably_ cute nurses."

Monica felt her heartbeat quickening. Before she could respond, they heard Joey say, "Oh, my!"

He grinned at both the women lewdly, probably fantasizing about their encounter with two unbelievably cute _female _nurses.

Rachel just stared at him. "They are _male _nurses."

He shook his head, shrugging. "Not in my head."

Apparently, the pain hadn't dulled Joey's propensity to make lesbian innuendo jokes.

Rachel shook her head exasperatedly. "Anyway, they want to take us out Saturday night! What do you say?" She looked at Monica excitedly.

_What do I say? _Monica floundered not knowing what to say, her gaze briefly lingering on Chandler, who was still on the phone. "Um…"

In their three weeks of secret courtship and sleeping together, never once had there been a conversation about what they _were. _She still wasn't sure what they were, and she knew, neither was he.

They were no longer 'just friends'. Maybe they were friends who slept together, but, even that seemed insufficient when she wanted to describe their relationship.

It was something more.

They talked, they kissed, they made love, and they smiled at each other without any reason. Every time his fingers brushed against hers, accidentally or otherwise, her heart beat faster.

_Something definitely more._

She didn't know whether they were exclusive, but she could imagine it no other way. And she was sure he felt the same way. _Almost sure. _

Even the thought of her going out on a date with another guy made her feel like she was cheating on Chandler.

She returned her gaze towards Rachel, shrugging uncomfortably. "I don't think so." A part of her hoped Rachel would leave it at that, even though she knew that that wasn't going to happen.

Rachel looked at her disbelievingly, telling her that since she was the one who wanted her get over Ross and move on, she should move on with her, too. "Come on, give me one good reason why you don't wanna go."

_Chandler._

Chandler was the one good reason, but she couldn't tell Rachel that.

All the other lame reasons that she came up with, fell on deaf ears. Finally, Rachel assured her. "You _are _coming."

She glanced at Chandler one last time before she accompanied Rachel to the cafeteria. She'd have to convince Rachel that she really was not in a place to date.

She'd have to talk to Chandler about this, before he heard it from someone else.

~.~

But he heard it from someone else. _She's going out on a date, Saturday night._

When people say the phrase 'heavy heart', they are not talking figuratively. He could literally feel his heart being weighed down with a feeling that felt slightly unfamiliar. He'd been through millions of heartbreaks, but this feeling felt new and more painful.

Not that he wasn't used to being screwed over by women, but never once had he imagined that Monica would be the one to inflict this unfamiliar pain on him.

Their encounter in London, their nighttime trysts during the past three weeks meant something to him. If they didn't mean anything to her, then he didn't know what to do, for he'd always thought it meant something to her, too.

He promised to himself at that moment, he'd not dwell on this. He'd not allow the hurt to spread through his body.

He'll not think of her smile. He'll not think of the happy glint in her eyes.

He'll not think of how her lips tasted, nor will he think of the warmth of her skin beneath his fingertips.

He will not think of her.

After all, it was just a fling.

~.~

He came into the waiting room, in search of her, and found her coming towards him with a smile on her face. "Oh-hey-hey-hey! There you are!"

How could she smile? He didn't understand. She was going to end things with him. She was going to tell him that she was going out on a date with a male nurse (seriously?), and yet, there she was, smiling at him.

But he could see the nervousness behind that smile. Ten years of friendship enabled you to see things that others wouldn't and couldn't.

He will not allow her to end it. His pride, dignity and self-respect were still floundering somewhere in his childhood, but he'd salvage whatever he can. And that would be possible only if _he_ ended this thing between them, before she did it.

He'll be the one to say it.

"Umm, listen there's something I think you should know," she started nervously, but he cut her off.

"Oh, is this about you-you dating the nurse? Yeah, Joey already told me, and I am so-so fine. I mean, you and I we're just, y'know, we're nothing," he shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant. "W-w-w-we we're just," he shrugged again, trying to think of a word for their three-week long escapade, from her point of view. "We're goofing around," he concluded.

She looked like someone had slapped her in the face. _Goofing around!_

He wondered for a second whether he'd done the right thing, but the small amount of pride that he still possessed, stopped him from saying anything.

She looked at him, her eyes revealing hurt. "Umm… Actually, I was about to tell you that I was- I was going to get out of it, but hey, if we're just "goofing around" then, maybe I will go out with him." She nodded.

_Oh god, what have I done? _

_Don't apologize, Chandler! Remember, Pride!_

"Fine! Maybe I will, too!" He looked at her indignantly, a second later frowning as he replayed what he'd just said, in his mind. _That doesn't sound right._

He realized with an uneasy feeling that, his 'small amount of pride' might have ended one of the best things that had ever happened to him.

~.~

"Unbelievable," Monica muttered to herself, making her way from Phoebe's room to Joey's.

Goofing around? That's how he would describe what had happened between them? Maybe he'd got the wrong impression that she _was _going out on that stupid double date, but that still didn't give him the right to say that they were just _goofing around._

During all those moments she'd sneaked out of her apartment in the dead of the night, and entered his to find that feeling of _rightness_ in his arms, she'd never thought it'd come down to this. She'd never thought it'd end this way.

If kisses like that, if sex like that, if looks like that, if _feelings _like that meant they were goofing around, then they probably were.

~.~

He knew she was mad at him. He knew she was doing this date thing only to spite him. And why wouldn't she? After all, he'd said they were just _goofing around. _

Of all the things that he could have said and done, that probably was the most asinine option.

Now Dan with his medical school and perfect white teeth was going to date Monica. Maybe they'll fall in love. Maybe they'll get married. And who knows, given his luck, they'll probably name their little baby girl Chandler, too.

But they weren't goofing around, in the first place! And people deserved second chances, for crying out loud! (At least, he did.)

He squared his shoulder, taking a deep breath. He was never the one to talk things through, but this was one of those rare occasions during which he found it imperative that he should talk with Monica and sort things out.

He entered the hallway in search of her, only to find her talking to Dan.

"So, I'll call you tomorrow," Dan was telling her and she was smiling back at him, saying "Great."

He'll have to do some serious damage control here.

~.~

"But if you have this newfangled dictionary that gets you made at me, then we have to, y'know, get you my original dictionary." Chandler concluded his weird but adorable monologue, that she knew only _he _could come up with. He cringed, not liking what he'd just said. "I am _so _bad at this."

She wanted to kiss him at that moment. She shook her head, smiling as she assured him, "I think you're better than you think you are."

She kissed him on the cheek as got up to tell Dan that there was not going to be a date the next day. "Don't do the dance." She told Chandler, without turning her head back, just as he was about to do his infamous 'happy dance'.

Hooking up with your best friend had its own disadvantages, too.

She knew him too well.

~.~

Monica climbed out onto her balcony. They'd all returned to their respective apartments after spending some time with Phoebe. All except Rachel. Since Alice had some unfinished work in Delaware, Rachel had offered to stay with Phoebe that night. So, Monica was alone in her apartment.

Joey had come home after the removal of his kidney stones, and Chandler was probably looking after him.

Wanting to reflect on the events of the day in solitude, she glanced up at the sky, the million little stars shining brightly. She turned towards the window on hearing his voice.

"Hey," Chandler smiled at her, as he climbed out onto her balcony. "Joey's asleep. I figured you'd be here."

She smiled back at him as they stayed silent for a few seconds, before she spoke. "So, I hear Chandler is a girl." She smiled at him, and there was that happy glint in her eyes that he'd promised to himself he'd never think about, earlier that evening.

Now he realized, whatever might happen between them, _that _happy glint would be something he'd always cherish.

"If you don't know it to be _otherwise _by now_, _then I am pretty sure that during the last few weeks, we haven't been _doing it _right." He chuckled.

She grinned back at him, shaking her head.

"So, what were you thinking about?" he asked her, linking their fingers.

"The babies. Just wondering whether I'd have one, sometime in the future." She shrugged, looking straight ahead.

"Of course you'd have one." He assured her, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. "Do you remember what I told you when Ben was born?"

_When we're 40, if neither of us are married, what do you say you and I get together and have one?_

She smiled at the memory. "Yeah." She looked him as she nodded.

He looked at her a long moment before he whispered. "The offer still stands." He hoped she wouldn't flip out like she did, back then.

A slow smile spreading across her face, she stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He tugged at her hand, pulling her closer to him.

After a few moments of comfortable silence, he turned towards her. "Mon?"

"Hmm?"

"I am glad we're not goofing around." He smiled at her lightly, bringing their entwined hands to his lips to kiss her hand.

She withdrew her hand from his, as she turned around to face him, hooking her arms around his neck. "Me, too."

She smiled against his lips as he leaned in to kiss her. She deepened the kiss by parting her lips.

He pulled her closer, his grasp on her tightening, just as she wished he'd never let go.

_The taste of her lips, the warmth of her skin beneath his fingertips._

Kissing under the million little stars, maybe one of them will grant their wish.

_Let this last forever._

~.~.~

_A/N: Contrary to what many people might think, writing filler scenes is not that easy (at least, not for me). As far as I am concerned, 'Forever and a Day' just flows the moment I place my fingers on the keyboard, while this one quite doesn't. I have to maneuver the characters and their stories within a specified timeline which is a lot harder than it appears. I am already losing my motivation to continue this fic, and if I don't get enough feedbacks, I will not be continuing this._


	9. Chapter 8

_A/N: Thank you guys for reviewing the previous chapter!_

_I don't know whether anyone's still reading this, but I love this series too much to leave it unfinished. I am gonna continue this, and hopefully, it'll be as well received by you guys as 'Forever and a Day'._

_**This chapter is M-rated. Definitely M-rated.**_

_I've delved deeper into the M-rated realms than I'd usually dare to, so reviews for this chapter are very crucial for me (I am kinda new at writing super-romantic stuffs, and I'd love to know whether I could try it out some ot__her time, too, or it is like 'No! Don't you ever try this again!'). Well, I guess this also serves as a warning: **If you're not comfortable reading such contents, then please skip this chapter.**_

_It covers the events before, during and a little after 'TOW Phoebe hates PBS'._

_Yet again, it's quite long._

**That Thing Called Love**

**Chapter 8**

Whenever she was in his arms, she felt safe and secure. They felt strong and gentle around her. She'd missed this. She'd missed being with a man. But this was different. The man was her best friend. That made it different. That made it special.

She opened her eyes reluctantly and glanced at the clock on his nightstand. 5:03. Rachel wouldn't be up before 6:30. That meant a good hour more of sleep next to him. Or she could do something else with him that was way better than sleep.

Sex with him was more satisfying and fulfilling than Monica could ever remember sex being. Not that Richard and Pete had been bad in bed, but with Chandler, it was something more. Maybe it was the way he kissed her. Soft feathery kisses followed by long, deep ones that made her feel drunk. Or it was the way he looked into her eyes when they made love. She could not point out one single thing that made it different. It was a million little things, the nuances of which reinforced the fact that they indeed weren't 'goofing around'. This was getting pretty serious pretty fast.

She felt him stir, the warmth of his breath shifting from her nape to her shoulder. She smiled when she felt his lips on her shoulder, inching their way down her arm. She turned around in his arms, and brushed her lips against his closed eyelids, watching him as he smiled that slow, content smile that was reserved for only during their 'alone' moments. "Good morning." She smiled at him as he opened his eyes.

"Good mornin'," he smiled back, kissing her softly on the lips. He pulled back from the kiss, gazing at her. "How many shifts do you have today?"

"Two." She closed her eyes, knowing that it'd be another fifteen hours before she could lie in his arms again. "I'll be home early this evening," she answered the question that she knew was coming next.

"Yeah? Then I could come home early, too." He kissed her jaw line, his lips traveling up to her earlobe. "We can make up for the lost time," he said, referring to the fact that they hadn't slept together for a few days until the previous night, since she had been on her period.

"I'll look forward to it," she said softly, as he drew back.

He turned to look at the clock. "You know, we still have like an hour till you have to get back to your place. Any bright ideas as to what we could do within that time?" Trailing kisses from her chin to the hollow of her throat, it was pretty clear that he had an idea of his own.

"We could clean your living room," she whispered, leaning her head to one side as he kissed the side of her neck, his hands moving along her body with their own will. 'Cleaning the living room' was the last thing on her mind.

"Or?" His hand tantalizingly close to her breasts, his lips brushing across her collarbone, he smiled against her skin as she sighed his name.

"We could play a round of scrabble." Feeling his arousal against her thigh, she brushed her hand along the length of him, as he sucked in his breath. Two could play at this game. "Everything alright, Mr. Bing?" she murmured against his hair, her fingers combing their way through it. "Or should I say Mr. _Big_?"

He chuckled as he propped himself on his elbow to look at her. "_That_ would definitely be good for my ego," he nodded as she snaked her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her for a kiss.

He kissed her softly at first, and then with growing urgency. His tongue flicked gently across her pursed lips, silently requesting her to part her lips for him, which she did instantly. She moaned softly into the kiss when she felt his hand cup her breast, his thumb teasing her nipple. Grabbing his shoulders, she rolled onto her back, pulling him on top of her.

He settled between her thighs, kissing her harder as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Suddenly he drew back, breaking the kiss, looking at her momentarily disoriented. She groaned with impatience, opening her eyes, frowning at him. His expression quickly cleared as his brain finally figured out why he'd stopped doing whatever he had been doing. "Condom," he whispered breathlessly, blindly reaching for one on the nightstand. She nodded her understanding, mentally scolding herself for forgetting it in the first place. The probability that something could happen was less now, but better safe than sorry.

"It'd be hard to keep it a secret if, you know, something happens." He smiled nervously, as he pulled back from her to roll the condom on himself. Smiling as he moved on top of her again, he brushed his lips across her nipple, her moan still soft, and her brain barely aware of Joey's presence on the other side of the wall. "Still wanna clean the living room?" he whispered, moving between her legs, positioning himself.

"God, no." She shook her head, her eyes drifting shut as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down on top of her for a kiss. He entered her slowly, relishing the feeling of her warmth enveloping him, both of them sighing in unison.

They'd done this forty six times now – he'd kept count – but it felt as exciting, as new and as _right_ as it'd felt in London. Some _friends_ they were.

The moment they become one, everything else became a blur. All that mattered was each other.

"Mon…" he whispered, slightly quickening the pace that he'd set, pecking her lips.

She met his thrusts as she slowly opened her eyes to look at him. It was the same look that was there every time they made love. His eyes soft and bluer than ever, gazing into hers, his face revealing pleasure and adoration for her, along with another emotion that she couldn't quite place. She lifted their entwined hands and traced his features with her forefinger.

This look in his eyes was something that wanted through the rest of her life. The second the thought entered her mind, she reprimanded herself. _This, _despite the fact that they weren't messing around, was something that they were yet to discuss. They were still somewhere between 'friendship' and 'relationship', but with each night that she spent in his arms, they were teetering closer to 'relationship'. Maybe he would freak out again on realizing it himself, but she wasn't worried. She had always been good at handling his Chandlerisms. Besides, she knew he was in this as much as she was, both physically and emotionally.

Both attuned to the other's needs, she could feel the heat originating from deep within her, their bodies rising on a crescendo until _that_ moment, that moment when nothing else mattered but the feeling of utter contentedness and immense affection for the person in their arms.

_No wonder they call it '__**love**__making', _she mused, once again finding herself falling for him, but too sated to care.

Slowly regaining his breath, he lifted his head from the crook of her neck, looking into her eyes as he leaned in and kissed the corner of her mouth. She broke their hands apart to frame his face, tilting his chin to kiss him on the lips softly. He pulled back a few seconds later, leaning his forehead against hers.

A warm afterglow spreading through her, she smirked as she whispered "I am definitely looking forward to this evening."

~.~

_Scented candles – check. Dimmed lights – check. Perfectly made bed with new sheets – check. Wineglasses – check. Strawberries – check. Emergency condoms – check._

The only missing thing was Chandler. He'd told her that he'd be with her before five and now, a little after five, he was yet to arrive. "A bottle of champagne, a romantic evening in bed, how does that sound?" he'd asked her that morning, watching her as she'd slipped into her cream satin nightdress that he loved on her. Pulling the robe on and tying the sash loosely around her front, she'd leaned in and kissed him. "Sounds perfect." She'd walked out of his room, smiling lightly, knowing that he was watching her walk away with the same light smile.

Now, she sighed, wondering for the umpteenth time as to where he was. Suddenly feeling brazen and bold that evening, the tips from Cosmo helping her, she'd uncinched her black robe and pulled it apart, exposing just the perfect amount of flesh that would intrigue him and entice him. _Not that he would require any intrigue or enticement_. She smiled, a blush creeping up her face, as she remembered the events from that morning.

She heard the apartment door open, a smile already spreading across her face, she placed her hands above her head, which caused the robe to open up further. As he knocked on the door, she called out in the most sultry voice that she could muster "Come in... I've been waiting for you."

She waited for him to enter, wondering why he'd knocked in the first place, only to see that it was Rachel and _not _Chandler who'd entered her bedroom. Rachel entered, going through the mail in her hand, wanting to ask Monica about something, but as she looked at her friend's posture on the bed, it was too late for Monica to do any damage control. _You've gotta be kidding me._

Rachel screamed out in horror, running out of the room as fast as she could. Monica pulled the robe close around her, assured that her heart would explode if it kept beating at that rate.

On convincing Rachel that it was the non-threatening-(_and non-existent_)-Ray-Liotta-looking-cute-waiter-guy (_god knows who that is) _for whom she'd been waiting, she prayed to Heaven that Chandler wouldn't come when Rachel was still there. "I want every _little _detail…" Rachel told her excitedly. _Why? Why did __**she **__have to come home early?_

Following Rachel, Joey and Ross entered, much to her relief, but it didn't last long. Chandler entered happily, carrying a bottle of champagne, oblivious to the three extra beings in the living room. On seeing them, he was visibly shocked, and came up with "I am so glad you guys are all here! My office finally got wrinkle-free fax paper!", in order to explain the champagne.

And he called _her _a bad liar.

~.~

Rachel, disappointed that the non-threatening-Ray-Liotta hadn't turned up, had left for the coffeehouse along with Ross, within which time Monica had changed out of her robe.

Phoebe, who'd joined them later, was having a conversation with Joey, enjoying the champagne, _their _champagne_,_ when Chandler sidled up next to Monica in the kitchen. "Sorry," he whispered, looking guilty.

She glared at him. "What the hell took you so long? Do you have any idea how hard it was for me explain to Rachel the reason behind my _position _on the bed?" she hissed. On seeing his dreamy look, probably because he was imagining her in the position (and Rachel along with her), her elbow made contact with his ribs.

He winced in pain, whispering again. "Sorry! I tried to come as fast as I could, but I had to get the champagne and all, and how was I supposed to know that she'd be home early, too?" He looked at her with an exaggerated 'I am sorry' look, smiling widely as she finally nodded, forgiving him. "So, I hear something about a Ray Liotta-looking cute waiter guy?" He smirked at her.

She turned towards him, and countered back without missing a beat. "I hear that your office got _wrinkle-free _fax paper?"

He smiled at her sheepishly. "I couldn't think of anything else."

She smiled back in spite of herself. "And _I_ couldn't think of anything else, either," she replied as she turned back to wash the coffee mugs.

A wave of comforting warmth washed through him when he saw her frown with concentration as she placed the mugs on the shelf, according to the numbers that they bore on the bottom. Some things comfort you just because they are a constant. Just because they never change. And her quirkiness such as this was one such thing.

"So tonight, your place or mine?" he asked her, once she'd rechecked the arrangement.

She looked at him, thinking his question through. They seldom spent the night at her place. Two reasons for it: Rachel cannot be fooled as easily as Joey. And she didn't trust Chandler's sneaking around abilities.

"Are you sure you can come here without Rachel noticing?" She looked at him cynically.

"Yeah, just lend me your invisibility cloak," he replied sarcastically. "Would you just trust me for once?"

"OK. OK. Y'know what, it's gonna be my place tonight. I trust you." She smiled at him. "You better don't be late again," she whispered, leaning in, her eyes shining.

He turned and checked whether either Phoebe or Joey was looking at them and turned back again when he saw that they weren't. He placed his hand on her cheek and brushed his lips softly against hers. "I won't be late. I promise," he replied, barely loud enough for her to hear, dropping his hand from her face, smiling at her as he left the apartment.

She stared at the closed door longingly, knowing that this feeling in the pit of her stomach would be her doom, if he didn't feel it, too.

~.~

"Mon, tell me about this secret waiter guy!" Rachel looked at her wide-eyed with excitement. They'd had their dinner and the guys had returned to their apartment. She glanced at the clock. Nine thirty. _Three more hours till Chandler would be here._ She had no idea as to how much of Rachel's 'tell me every little detail' session that she'd be able to take without contradicting herself. She could swear that Rachel's ears had perked up, waiting to hear some juicy detail. It always perked up when Rachel got even a whiff of a potential gossip.

"There's nothing to tell, really." She shrugged uncomfortably, picking at a thread on the couch.

"Oh, come on! You've gotta give me something more than _that_!" Rachel exclaimed, drawing herself closer to Monica. "Is he cute? I mean, if he's a Ray Liotta look-alike, he's obviously cute, but I didn't get a good enough look at him the other day. So, what's he like?" She rattled off, looking at Monica curiously.

"Yeah, he's cute." She nodded, smiling. On Rachel's expectant look, she added "He has the bluest eyes, ever." She could feel that stupid grin, the one that made an appearance whenever she thought about him, spread across her face. She realized at that moment that, if at all their visit to London did anyone any good, it was _this._ She and Chandler owed so much to London.

Rachel grinned back, happy for her friend. "How long have you guys been going out?"

"A month," she smiled, hoping that the questionnaire would come to an end after a couple more questions.

"A month? Wow, that's almost since London!" Rachel patted her leg, as if congratulating her on a great achievement. "So, how is he in bed?" She raised her eyebrows, lowering her voice.

_That_ was always the most important question in all these 'so tell me about this guy' conversations. Actually, it was the whole point of the conversation. It signaled that the discussion was about to end, and the answer that you gave either earned the guy some respect, or it earned you some sympathy. Only truth was expected and accepted here.

She took a deep breath and answered the final question truthfully. "He's the best sex I've ever had."

~.~

"I don't care! I wanna meet this guy who's the best sex she ever had!" The moment Rachel said it, Monica resisted the urge to slap her forehead. _I knew I shouldn't have told her that._

You don't tell a guy that. You simply don't. Especially if the guy is Chandler. Being happy on hearing it was one thing, but gloating over it was totally another. Knowing Chandler, she knew which reaction he'd choose, and she wasn't surprised when he slapped the paper down, looking at Rachel elatedly.

"Really! That's what you heard?" His face practically pink with glee, he asked Rachel, and turned towards Monica with the same expression before Rachel could answer. "You said that?"

She narrowed her eyes, looking at him suspiciously. "I might have said that." She hoped he'd realize that Rachel was still with them and act cool, but instead, he laughed like he'd heard the funniest joke in the world. _Oh, god. Couldn't you brag about it later? Do you really have to do it __**now**__? And why the hell are you laughing?_

She leaned in and slapped his arm lightly. "Why is that so funny?"

"Because I am happy for him!" He shrugged, justifying his reaction. He smacked her leg playfully with the rolled newspaper. "And you, you luck dog!"

_Hmm… It doesn't appear like you're gonna get anything to gloat about tonight._

~.~

"Y'know what I don't get? Why would Chandler be so happy for some guy on hearing that he's the best sex you've ever had?" Rachel frowned in confusion, as Monica entered their apartment after giving Chandler a rendition of his 'happy dance'.

He'd danced, jumping onto the coffee table. No wonder Rachel was confused.

"Got me." Monica shrugged nonchalantly as she pulled out the Williams Sonoma catalog from one of the cupboards in the kitchen, placing it on the coffee table so that it'd be the first thing Chandler would see upon entering the living room.

"Maybe he's just happy for her." Phoebe grabbed some chips from the bowl and started to munch on it, but suddenly looked at them wide eyed like she'd discovered something. "Hey, maybe _that's _a selfless good deed!"

Rachel shook her head slowly, thinking it through. "Nah… I don't think so, Pheebs. It's not a _deed. _I mean, he didn't _do _anything to improve Monica's love life."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Phoebe returned to her chips, disappointed. "Man, I've got to find a selfless good deed!" she muttered to herself.

Monica sat staring at Rachel's bedroom door, biting her cheeks, trying not to smile.

_There's so much you guys don't know._

_~.~_

"Yes, it really does cost that much. Maybe next time your duck can puke in something from Pottery Barn," she replied as he looked up at her from the catalog, in shock.

He looked down at the cost of the broiling pan again, his eyes wide with disbelief. _$380 for a pan? No one would even buy __**me **__at that price. _He glanced up at Monica. _Maybe she will. After all, I am the fire of her loins ._He frowned at what he'd just thought. _Fire of her loins? Dude, seriously?_ He looked at her again. _Or maybe she won't._

She was still pretty mad at him. If not for anything else, at least for his dance. But what she didn't understand was, it meant to him a lot that he was able to satisfy her needs in the bedroom. Not just satisfy, but from what Rachel had said, even surpass her expectations.

He'd never been very confident in that department, and he was sure that there was a reason behind his self-doubt. The number of women in his life was a testimony to it.

Maybe he'd crossed a line by comparing himself with Richard, _damn that moustached bastard, _but he knew that this minor glitch can be rectified by him, if he made her see his point.

"Will Chandler have sex tonight?" Monica consulted the magic 8-ball that she'd grabbed from Ross. "Don't count on it." She returned it to Ross and shrugged. "Seems like it works to me."

_Oh great, even the magic 8-ball is not in my favor._

_~.~_

"_When I'm with you, and when we're together, OH…MY…GOD_." From seeing the look on his face as he'd said it, she knew he was telling her the truth. He meant each and every word.

They'd contemplated having sex in an airplane bathroom, so when he'd suggested the Central Perk storage closet, she'd found it appealing and even exciting to a certain extent. At any rate, it was better than his first suggestion – her balcony.

Now, pinned between the wall of the storage closet and him for the second time that day, she knew she felt the same way towards him. Whenever they were together, it was indeed _Oh…My…God._

She gasped, trying to catch her breath, her cheek resting against the side of his head, her hands clasped tightly around his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist.

His breath coming in short, quick gasps, he slightly pulled away from her to look at her, his hands still supporting her weight. "Every time," he kissed her lips softly, "Every time we make love, it takes my breath away," he whispered, pecking her lips again.

He looked into her eyes, feeling a strange sense of fulfillment, and he saw something flicker in her eyes as she whispered back "It takes my breath away, too."

~.~.~

_A/N: Well, IMO, a season 5 Mondler story will be incomplete without some Mondler lovin' :)_

_Reviews and __**constructive **__criticism for this chapter are welcome! Although I so wanna continue this story, there'd be no point in me doing so if no one's reading. So, anybody out there still reading this?_

_And another important thing, updates from me will no longer be as frequent as it used to be, since I've got some personal issues that I need to deal with right now. So I apologize in advance for any delay in updating '**Forever and a Day'**. Please don't expect it to be updated anytime before the next two weeks._


	10. Chapter 9

_A/N: Whoa! Thank you, **thank you **for all the kind words, subscriptions and addition to favorites! Albeit a little delay here and there, I'd never leave this fic unfinished._

_And finally! The episode that we all love! _

_This chapter covers the events of the episode 'The one with all the Kips'. Enjoy reading! (I love the 'you? And… and you?' coming from Joey :))_

Disclaimer: As always, I do _not _own _anything_. The dialogues from the show aren't mine.

**That Thing Called Love**

**Chapter 9**

Glancing at Rachel out of the corner of her eyes, waiting until she was out of earshot, Monica leaned in and whispered to Chandler, who sat across from her in the kitchen chair. "Around three. Is that OK?"

He didn't look up. His attention didn't waver from her outstretched arms on the table. He watched in fascination as the blue vein on her wrist pulsed from beneath her pale skin. He placed his fingertips on it. It'd been twelve hours since he'd felt her heartbeat against his own. For some reason, he was incredibly tempted to press his lips against her wrist, against the pulsating vein, but that sort of action would only garner them unwanted attention, or in this case, Rachel's attention.

"Chandler?" Monica tapped on his knuckles with her other hand, looking at him curiously. "Everything alright?"

"Yes." He retracted his hand, smiling. "Yeah, three is fine."

"Great," she smiled back, aware that Rachel would still not be able to hear what they were talking. "So, I was thinking, maybe I could wear that black negligee I bought last week," she twirled a strand of her hair around her finger, her voice just a tad flirtatious.

He watched her, enamored by the soft, teasing smile on her lips, still captivated by the throbbing blue vein. "Now, _that_ is a mental image I can live with." He leaned in, smiling lightly, trailing a finger up her wrist, feeling her pulse quicken beneath his fingers. "Can't wait," he murmured, peering into her eyes.

He'd waited for twelve hours, what's another eight?

~.~

Easier said than done. Just fifteen minutes away from 3 AM, Chandler was getting antsy.

During the innumerable nights when he'd been kept awake by Joey and the thin wall that separated him from Joey, he'd mastered the art of making hand shadow puppets, and he actually used to enjoy doing it. But now, 'shadow puppets' were of least help.

Things were good the way they were. He had given up trying to make sense of what was happening between them. Whatever it was, he was sure that it was the best thing that had happened to him in awhile, if not in his whole life.

Sleeping together made them happy, but keeping it a secret was draining his energy. He was pretty sure that she was getting tired of the 3'o clock routine, too.

His pillowcases smelled like her shampoo, the one he stole from her on occasion. His bed smelled like her. He buried his face in the pillow, inhaling deeply. Lavender and rose. Not very different from the smell of her skin. _Monica in black negligee. _Not helping, either. _Just a few more minutes, horny boy._

Maybe some milk would help. He'd been up since twelve, and his dinner was long digested. Milk would definitely help. He got off the bed, and left for his kitchen, carrying the digital clock from his nightstand with him, noticing that it was exactly 3 AM. He glanced at the door to their apartment, willing it to creak open. _Any minute now. _He opened one of the kitchen drawers, pulled out a mug and placed it on the counter, knowing pretty well that he might not actually get to the drinking part. He was right.

He opened the door when he heard the mild knock, smiling widely as he did so. True to her words, he could see the black lacy garment peeking from beneath her robe. "Hey," he whispered, pushing the door close as she kissed him softly.

Even their kisses had grown into something different. They'd become more relaxed and leisurely, softer and deeper. She pulled away, smiling, both of them starting towards his room, his milk completely forgotten.

A second later, he pushed her away from him forcefully. She wondered why, until the 'why' turned the lights on. _Uh oh. _She grasped the handle of the foosball table for support, her brain blanking out.

"Monica?" Joey rubbed the sleep off his eyes as he looked at the couple, in confusion. "What time is it?"

On an ordinary night, nothing short of a full-blown nuclear holocaust could wake Joey up before 9 AM. _For the love of all that is shiny, bright and sharp, why would he choose this night to become an early riser?_ It was beyond her.

Chandler pushed the clock into the sink, before it caught Joey's attention. "Uh… nine," he stuttered, thanking Heaven that it was just _Joey. _But one glaring problem was, unless they were living in the South Pole, 9'o clock would _never _look the way it looked now.

Joey was smart enough to figure _that_ out. He looked even more confused as he turned to look out the window. "But it's dark out," he pointed out.

_OK, come up with something quick! Because it's 9 PM, not AM? Because it's solar eclipse? _

Thankfully, Monica came up with something that was even better. "Well that's because you always sleep to noon, silly!" she laughed as he mentally praised her quick thinking. "This is what 9 looks like!"

Joey nodded his understanding, and he headed off to the bathroom to freshen up, in order to watch the _sunrise._

Chandler thanked Heaven again that it was _just _Joey.

~.~

Chandler pushed his bedroom door close behind him, grinning as he pulled Monica into his arms. "I missed you." A little more than a month of sneaking around, they'd finally reached a point where it was alright to say _I missed you._

"I missed you, too." She giggled when he went to work on the sash of her robe, without further ado. "Easy, tiger. Neither I nor the black negligee are going anywhere."

"Oh, I don't know about that," he shook his head, pausing to admire the way she looked. She was pushing the robe off his shoulders and pulling his shirt up and over his head. He leaned down to lift the hem of her nightdress slowly. "I am afraid the negligee's gotta go." He pulled it over her head, his hands wandering leisurely along her bare skin.

"I am not complaining," she murmured as she pulled his boxers down, tilting her head to one side when his kisses trailed from her lips to her neck. She moved along with him when he backed her towards the bed, but frowned as she lay down on it. "Will Joey be alright sleeping on the toilet?"

He lay down on the bed, beside her, and pulled away from her to stare at her in incredulity. "Is that what you wanna talk about right now? Joey sleeping on the toilet?"

She shrugged uncomfortably. She, for one, would rather _die_ than sleep on a toilet. "I mean, he's sleeping on the _toilet._"

He shook his head, smiling. "I don't know." He shrugged. "He was up all night, watching 'CasaSpanka'. He's probably too tired to even realize that he's asleep on the toilet." His fingers moved along her spine as he leaned in to kiss her. When she pushed him onto his back and moved on top of him, he knew she no longer cared about Joey's choice of sleeping arrangement. His fingers tangling in her hair as he held her close to him, he pulled away slightly. "Anymore questions?"

"No," she whispered back, reaching for his lips again, her tongue caressing his in a soft, sensual glide, her heart thudding against his.

Maybe a weekend away wouldn't be so bad, after all.

~.~

Walking hand-in-hand towards their hotel room in Jersey, Monica was reminded of the time they'd tried to have sex for the one last time in London. She still couldn't believe that they'd been interrupted _each_ and _every _time they had been about to.

But now, there would be no interruptions, just lovemaking without any hindrance. She smiled widely, their encounter with Donald Trump in the elevator not even contributing to half of her excitement. "I can't believe we're doing this," she shook her head, smiling up at him.

"I know." He lifted their entwined hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles, smiling. It felt surreal. Back at their place, four hours of privacy was the most they could hope for. Two whole days to be spent alone together and away from the other four felt like a dream come true. He just hoped she wouldn't insist on sanitizing the bed before they got into it.

~.~

Chandler decided that having to choose between a romantic weekend away and a high-speed car chase was hard, as he pulled his bag into his apartment and closed the door behind him. He still couldn't believe he'd called her 'mom', though. Shouldn't he have known by now that she hated it when someone's unintended (or intended) remarks implied that she was old? After all, a drunken guy's statement about how she looked like _Ross's mother _had been the catalyst to their interlude that had lasted a little more than a month.

And maybe things weren't over between them, yet. Maybe he could make her see that her anal retentive habits had contributed to the disruption of their rendezvous as much as his own sudden, childish urge to watch a high-speed car chase.

"Damn Rollos!" he muttered and threw the candy away from his seat. _Shouldn't Joey stick to his own Barcalounger?_

"Hey, you're back!" Joey entered the living room, happy to see his friend. Well, at least _someone_ was happy to see him. Monica sure wouldn't be. "How was your conference?"

_Does he __**have**__ to bring that up?_ "It was terrible." He sighed. "I fought with-" he paused, not knowing what to say. _How about colleagues? Yeah, OK. _"my colleagues."

"Oh, so your weekend was a total bust?" Joey asked him sympathetically.

"Uh, no, I got to see Donald Trump waiting for an elevator," he told Joey, who seemed impressed by it and told him a nice, short story about how Donald Trump had a private glass elevator made by Otis, at the Taj Mahal. His dear old friend knew nothing about the tourist spots in NY, but he knew about the glass elevators in Agra, India. "What kinds of stuff do _you _know?" Chandler asked him in disbelief.

"Hi!" Monica entered their apartment at that moment, smiling at Joey, but not at him. "Chandler, can I talk to you outside for just a second?"

_What does she wanna talk about? Maybe she wants to apologize? _But judging by the look on her face, _that_ seemed like the last thing she wanted to do. _Remember, this is still __**not **__over. Don't let her go without a fight._

"Hey, you're back too!" Joey smiled back. "How was your chef thing?"

"Oh, it was awful." She replied instantly, turning towards Chandler with a scornful look on her face. "I guess some people just don't appreciate really good food."

_Oh, yeah? You wanna play it that way? _"Well, maybe it was the kind of food that tasted good at first but then made everybody vomit and have diarrhea." He shrugged, as though that could be a possible explanation.

She glowered at him for a second before she pointed at the hallway, motioning for him to come outside. "Chandler?"

"Monica?" he mimicked her petulantly as he got off his chair and followed her outside, leaving Joey to wonder what the two could possibly want to talk about in private.

"Okay, I'd like to know how much the room was because I'd like to pay my half," she told him, tearing up a check leaf from her checkbook.

"Okay, fine, $300," he replied nonchalantly. _Well, this is really over. She wants to pay me back, which means that it is really, __**really **__over. Aren't you going to fight for her?_

"Three hundred dollars!" she looked up at him in disbelief.

"Yeah, just think of it as $25 per room." _That's not the right kind of fighting._

"Urghh!" she grunted as she handed him the check.

Joey poked his head out the door, his curiosity piqued from the all the grunting going on. "What are you guys woofing about?"

Monica stared at Chandler with pure contempt and answered the question with, "Chandler stole a twenty from my purse!"

_That _explained all the private-talks. "Noooo!" Joey exclaimed, his eyes widening rather comically. "Y'know what? Now that I think about it, I constantly find myself without twenties and _**you**_ always have lots!"

Chandler didn't know what was worse, Monica spreading horrible rumors about him or the fact that Joey had gone through his wallet.

"I am watching _you_," Joey told him in his best NYPD voice and went back inside.

Chandler stared at the door, nonplussed, before he turned to see Monica smirking with victory. He sighed, wanting to make her see that this was just a small blip in their five-week-long liaison. "Look, I am sorry the weekend didn't go well. I know that watching television is not exactly the kind of thing that most people would want to do on a romantic weekend away, but I just thought it'd be fun." Changing rooms for every fifteen minutes wasn't such a turn-on, either, but he left that part out, not wanting to make her pissed off than she already was.

"Fun!" she exclaimed, looking at him incredulously. "Seriously? What are you? Twelve?"

_OK, she's not making this 'fighting back' thing any easier._

"If _that_ was your idea of fun, you could've stayed home and had it with Joey," she said, all the while glaring at him.

"Speaking of fun, you might as well have brought a bottle of Windex to the hotel and cleaned all the windows!" he snapped. "Y'know, your desperate need to control every little thing is cute when you're living across the hall. But when we're sleeping on the same bed," he paused, shaking his head, before he hissed in a loud whisper, "_not _so cute!"

Her cheeks turned a light pink with anger. Their eyes locked, starting off a staring contest. "If it bothers you so much, we don't _have_ to sleep on the same bed." She shook her head, her nostrils flaring.

"Great!" he shrugged and turned to leave, opening his apartment door, just as she opened hers. "Oh, Monica?" he called out for her. When she turned back with a look of hers that he'd never been fond of, he asked her, "I am sure a lot of rooms in that hotel had two separate beds, would you maybe wanna go there again some other time and reject a few of those rooms?"

She gave him the Ross-patented fist banging thing before she went inside her apartment and closed the door, with a loud bang.

_Oh, it's definitely over now._

~.~

His bed still smelled like her. He pulled the sheets over his face, wanting to get her out of his mind, wanting sleep to take over his Monica-addled brain.

Ever since their first night together in London, this was the only night they'd slept on separate beds, and that just meant one thing. 'Monica and Chandler' had come to an end.

At one point during this fling, he'd imagined that it'd turn into something more. He'd even _hoped _that it'd turn into something more.

But he should have seen this coming. Everything that made him happy had always been short-lived. Be it parents or girlfriends.

And maybe, it was for the best. He still remembered what they'd all gone through when Ross and Rachel had broken up, and he still shuddered at the memory of being locked-up in Monica's room for hours together, waiting for them to stop fighting, waiting for them to kiss and make-up. But happy endings don't come easy.

He won't be able to go through what Ross and Rachel had gone through. He cannot lose Monica or what he'd had with her, even before London. Monica's friendship mattered to him more that any stupid fling.

He'd have to meet her the next day and warn her about the fact that Joey knew that he'd hooked-up with some girl during the weekend. He'd also have to tell her that he was OK with being just friends and he wouldn't be able to survive if he lost her as one.

It shouldn't have ended this way, not with a fight that seemed so juvenile, even to him, but every good thing had to come to an end, and 'Monica and Chandler' was no exception.

~.~

He rehearsed his speech for the one last time, as he opened the door to apartment 20, hoping to find Monica alone. "Hey."

She turned around on hearing his voice, and stood up to face him. "Hi," she said softly, feeling a little bit awkward as she remembered the things they'd said in the hallway.

He realized a second too late that he didn't have an opening line. "I just came over to drop off…" he trailed off searching his hands for _something_, but shrugged on finding that he didn't have a _single_ thing with him. "Nothing."

So he was there to apologize. She smiled as he bit his nails in nervousness, and waited for him to start the conversation.

"So the weekend kinda sucked, huh?" he asked her, smiling wryly.

'Kinda sucked' was an understatement. 'Sucked big time' would have been more like it. But nonetheless, she agreed, nodding. "Yeah, it did." She waited for him to say 'I am sorry, Mon. I'll make it up to you, I promise,' but frowned when he said something else.

"So, I guess this is over," he shrugged again, smiling at her uncertainly. He'd never been good at this.

_What? _She looked at him, clueless. "What?"

"Well, you and me," he explained. "I mean, it had to end sometime."

She looked even more perplexed. "Why exactly?"

"Because of the weekend," he told her, as though he was stating the obvious, "We had a fight."

"Chandler, that's crazy!" she exclaimed, wanting to pull him into a hug. He looked like a little lost boy. "If you give up every time you'd have a fight with someone you'd never be with anyone longer than… Ohhh!"

A sudden moment of epiphany, as they both realized that what she'd stated was precisely the reason behind many a broken heart. One fight didn't mean that it was the end. He turned back towards her, glad for some reason that he'd attained this particular nirvana with her.

"So, this isn't over?" He smiled widely, the feeling of surreality returning to surface. There was still a chance for 'Monica and Chandler'.

"You're so cute," she laughed on seeing the hopeful look on his face. The poor guy had really thought that things had come to an end between them. She walked around the couch so that she could wrap her arms around him and tell him that it indeed wasn't the end. "No. No, it was a fight. You deal with it and move on! It's nothing to freak out about," she assured him.

"Really?" He grinned widely, looking relieved. "OK, great!"

"Welcome to an adult relationship!" she told him, before she leaned in to kiss him.

His grin got wider. That was the first time anyone had ever used the word 'adult' in a positive sense, in a sentence that dealt with him. _Hold it for a second! Did she say 'relationship'?_ He stopped her instantly, and drew back. "We're in a relationship?"

He looked shocked, even a little scared. But having known him for all these years, she'd had an idea as to what to expect from him when things got serious. But she hoped he wouldn't freak out. That he wouldn't run away from this. From her. She smiled up at him softly and nodded. "I am afraid so."

"OK," he murmured and leaned in to kiss her, his heart beating wildly. He felt as though he was kissing her for the first time. It felt as exhilarating as it'd felt the first time.

She smiled against his lips and broke the kiss by pulling back to look into his eyes. "You really thought that _that_ was the end of us?" she stroked his cheek, kissing him softly, again.

"Yeah," he nodded, tightening his arms around her, hoping to never let her go. "You're kinda the best thing that ever happened to me. I thought I screwed everything up." He kissed the side of her head, wondering why he'd said that. He would never usually reveal such a thing to anyone. But when she sighed contentedly against his shoulder, he didn't regret saying it. "I missed you last night," he told her, kissing her eyelids.

"I missed you, too," she whispered back, her fingers playing with the hair on his nape. "I was a little mad at you yesterday," she added, as a reason behind her absence in his bedroom, the previous night.

He smiled, kissing her on the forehead. "I am sorry the weekend sucked, Mon. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

She giggled on noticing that he'd said the exact same thing that she'd imagined he'd say. When he cocked his eyebrow quizzically, she shook her head. "You promise to take me someplace where the carpet doesn't smell, the glass doesn't have any lipstick stains on it and where there is no television for you to watch fast getaways?"

"I promise." He chuckled, nodding, forgetting to tell her about his conversation with Joey, about the eyelash curler, not knowing that it was going to come back and bite him in the butt. When she was smiling at him like the way she was now, he couldn't really be blamed for forgetting anything.

~.~

For as long as Chandler had known Joey, he had realized one thing even during their very first phone conversation. Joey was not the brightest bulb in the tanning bed. From all the subsequent years of a friendship that had evolved into something so close that they were practically brothers, he'd realized another thing. Joey was as concealed as a Sarong wrap.

Why Joey had chosen _that _particular moment to put two and two together, for the first time in his life, still eluded him. They would be lucky if Joey managed to keep it a secret for a few more months.

Joey had been shocked, to say the least, on finding out about him and Monica. '_You? And… and __**You?**_'

And now, he was staring at Chandler, after having asked him for the seventeenth time, 'You and Monica?' He sounded genuinely astonished, much to Chandler's annoyance.

"Is that so hard to believe?" he asked in exasperation. He was waiting for Monica to come any minute, knowing that Rachel would have just gone to bed.

"I mean, she's _hot._" Joey shrugged, justifying his disbelief. When Chandler agreed, nodding, he grinned widely, almost lewdly, before he asked him, "So, is she as kinky in bed as I imagine her to be?" When Chandler glared at him so very intensely, he visibly backed-off, stuttering, "Hey- hey- hey, that's how my imagination works. I am a guy!"

Chandler stared at him incredulously. "What am I? A duck?"

Fortunately for Joey, Monica entered their apartment at that precise moment. "Hey, guys."

"Hey, Mon!" Joey jumped up, relieved for the interruption. He frowned a second later. "Wait. So, have you two been doing it in the room right next to mine for like a month now?" he asked, wanting an explanation for all the weird noises that he'd heard even through his deep sleep, lately.

"It's been a little more than a month, Joe." Monica smiled, entwining her hand with Chandler's. He pulled her closer for a kiss, his left hand brushing against her cheek.

"You're kissing _again_!" Joey whined, sounding like the kid from 'The Princess Bride'. When the kiss went on, deeper and more passionate, he shook his head in disgust. "Oh, no, no, no. No live sex show," he muttered walking towards his bedroom as fast as he could. This one day would be enough to scar him for life.

Chandler drew back, kissing her lips two more times, lovingly. "I could get used to this, y'know?" he murmured against her lips before he kissed her again.

"Well, that's sort of the point of being a couple," she smiled as she pulled him towards his bedroom.

He grinned widely, following her. They were a _couple _now.

She leaned back on his bed, pulling him on top of her, watching him as he brushed a strand of her hair back from her face. "Chandler?"

"Yeah, Mon." He brushed his lips against hers softly, and pulled back, waiting for her to continue.

"You're kinda the best thing that ever happened to me, too," she whispered, pulling him closer for another kiss, feeling him smile against her lips, feeling his heart thud against her own.

~.~.~

_A/N: Whatever I do, this story ends up being a tad more romantic than I intend it to be. I hope no one's complaining! And yeah, I just stole a line from 'Princess Diaries' :D_

_The average word count of every chapter that I write is at least 3,000. Maybe I am a slow writer, but each chapter takes me two days to complete. So, for any delay between updates, for any series of mine, I blame my inability to write chapters that are less than 2,000 words._

_And Emily J, I'll definitely be writing a chapter on 'TOW everybody finds out'. I mean, who doesn't love that episode? :D_

_I think the next chapter might cover the 'The swing kings' Mondler date, but I am not sure. Let's wait and see ;) _


	11. Chapter 10

_A/N: I know I say this every time, but you guys have no idea how much I appreciate you taking the time to tell me that you're enjoying my stories. Thank you for all those wonderful, wonderful reviews :)_

_I had absolutely no help from the canon for this chapter (except for two things, which I've mentioned in the A/N at the end). This chapter takes place sometime between 'TOW the Yeti' and before Ross moves in with the guys._

_This chapter does not cover the 'Swing Kings' date. That'd probably be in the next chapter._

**That Thing Called Love**

**Chapter 10**

"C'mon! Pick something!" Joey whined, hopping from one foot to the other.

Chandler sighed. "Look, I just want this to be perfect. This is kinda like our one month anniversary. So-"

"Kinda?" Joey frowned. "I thought you guys said that it's been _more _than a month."

"Yes, but we didn't celebrate it back then, 'cause, you know, it wasn't really official. But now…" Chandler shrugged, not realizing that he was smiling too widely.

Joey gave him a weird look, nodding. "OK, but let's do this fast because the game starts in like twenty minutes."

"Sure." Chandler moved along the aisle, inspecting every gift article. Surprisingly, everything looked either too gaudy or too 'high-school'y. Picking out an anniversary gift was going to be much harder than he'd thought.

Joey checked his watch again and tutted with impatience. "What kind of stuff are you looking for?"

"Something romantic." He picked up a bracelet, observing it closely. He placed it back down on noticing that the charms were tiny lizards. _Definitely not romantic._

"Like something that says 'I love you'?" Joey held up a snow globe, which contained two newly-weds kissing and said 'I love you' on the base. He placed it back quickly when Chandler answered his question with a rather intense glare. "OK… So, no 'I love you'."

It didn't look like they were going to make it to the game. Joey resigned himself to that fact, but gave it one last try. "You know, there's a jewelry shop right across the street. You could gift her something romantic _and _special."

"That's not a bad idea, Joe." Chandler patted his arm, smiling appreciatively.

Feeling encouraged, Joey continued. "You can maybe get her a ring or something. I am pretty sure they're much cheaper than those necklaces," he told his friend helpfully.

Chandler stared at him disbelievingly. Joey's thoughts and ideas could astonish him at times, and this was one such moment. Did he really not know what he was suggesting? "I want to give her something that's romantic and does _not _say 'Will you marry me?'"

"Oh," Joey nodded slowly, finally getting it. He thought hard again. "Oh, hey, you could get her her favorite book, too! That's what you got Kathy."

Chandler cringed at the mention of his ex-girlfriend's name, but shrugged a moment later. "Yeah, I guess books are an option, too."

"Oh! Oh! I know what'd be a great book! You should totally gift her 'The Kamasutra'." He winked at Chandler. "Now _that_ would be romantic and _sexy_."

_I knew I shouldn't have brought him with me for this._

When Chandler glared at him so long for several moments, Joey lost his patience. What did a man have to do to be treated with some civility? "Oh, my god!" he exclaimed, and extracted two tickets to the game, from his pocket. "Here, have this." He handed one to Chandler and turned around to leave. "If you can, make it to the game. Else, I'll see you back home when you're done." With that, he left, leaving Chandler to his own devices.

~.~

"And then the customer told me that it's the best veal chop he'd ever had." Monica smiled at him widely, her eyes bright with pride and excitement. She'd never looked cuter, he had to admit.

Joey had gone to bed, not wanting to see stuffs that he didn't want to see, but not before telling Chandler that he'd missed 'a great game'. "I still can't believe you didn't take my 'Kamasutra' suggestion," he'd muttered just as Monica had made her entrance. He'd bid them goodnight and had left for his room.

Chandler watched her with amusement, propped on an elbow as he lay on his bed, his hand supporting his head. She sat at an arm's reach from him. He smiled back as he moved in closer to her, to pull her nearer. "Well, for $33, it better be," he murmured as he pushed the strap of her slip down her shoulder.

She moved to slap his arm, but he ducked, grinning. He pulled her into his arms when she didn't protest.

"So, it's been like a month and a half," he said conversationally, nibbling one shoulder, sliding the strap down to her elbow, his thumb brushing her nipple.

"Yes." She nodded, sighing. "But if you keep that up, I'm pretty sure I'm going to lose all track of time." She lay down next to him, playing with the collar of his T-shirt. "It's been a good one and a half months," she said softly, suddenly feeling too nervous.

Being in a new relationship, she wasn't sure as to what the right things would be to say to him. And given that it was _Chandler,_ she'd always have to tread carefully, unless she wanted to unleash his commitment-phobic side.

He pulled back from her shoulder to look at her, much to her surprise, smiling lightly. "A _really_ good one and a half months," he nodded, agreeing. He lay down on his side, facing her, looking at her with an expression which she found hard to decipher.

"What?" she asked him, watching him work up the courage to tell her something.

He let her strap lay limp on her elbow and moved in to kiss her on the lips. Her taste was slowly becoming familiar, comforting and arousing. Initiating a soft French kiss, momentarily lost in the ethereality of the moment, he felt her fingers starting to undo the buttons on his shirt. He pulled back to lift her slip over her head, and tossed it on the foot of the bed.

She stifled a giggle. Any other moment, she'd have killed him for just throwing the clothes on the floor, but now, she couldn't care less. She resumed her work on his shirt.

"Mon?" He kissed her forehead, watching her as she focused intently on undoing the buttons.

"I'm a little busy here." She kissed his exposed chest, her fingers starting on the penultimate button.

"Do you think, um… maybe we could go out sometime?" he asked her, his heart thumping hard against his ribs.

Her fingers froze on the button, and she lifted her face slowly to meet his gaze, shocked. That, she hadn't been expecting. "Like a date?"

They've had sex for god knows how many times, but _this_ made them more nervous. Theirs was indeed a weird courtship.

He grinned at her, removing his shirt on figuring out that she wasn't going to continue anytime soon. "Like a date," he confirmed. "If that's OK with you," he added, suddenly concerned.

Her face broke into a huge smile. She nodded. "I'd love to," she whispered back, leaning in to kiss him again.

He kissed her back, feeling the euphoric high that he always felt when they were together. Kissing her jaw line and collarbone, his lips making their way down to her breasts, he murmured against her skin, "Tomorrow night at eight?"

"Hmm," she responded, giving him her vague assent.

She really was losing track of time.

~.~

"So, what did you get her?" Joey queried through a mouthful of cereal. They were having breakfast at their own place since Monica had left for her apartment a little too late to cook that morning.

"I got her a book," Chandler replied, perusing the front page of the newspaper.

"The Kamasutra?" Joey asked for the fifth time, hopefully.

"No, Joe."

Joey didn't seem interested in continuing the conversation after that.

Chandler had indeed bought her a book. At that moment, it'd seemed romantic, but now, he had no idea whether it really was. He swirled the cereal in his bowl with the spoon, wondering what she'd think of his gift.

"When are you going to tell the others?" Joey asked, pulling Chandler back into reality. He raised an eyebrow as Chandler stared at him, dumbfounded. "When are you going to tell _Ross_?"

"Why- why- wh- why, _why_ would you ask that?" He felt like he was going to get sick.

"You guys are dating now, right? So why not tell the others?" Joey countered, curious. "C'mon, Ross is her brother! Don't you think he'd be happy to hear that his little sister and his best friend are dating?" he smiled at Chandler encouragingly, even though he very much doubted that Ross would be 'happy' on hearing the news. All he wanted was not to be the sole secret-keeper of such a huge thing.

Chandler took a deep breath. "OK, first of all, Monica and I need to figure things out between ourselves before we allow _others_ to breath down our necks. And you're a brother; would you be happy if I told you that I am dating one of your sisters?" he asked, genuinely curious, desperately seeking an older brother's point of view.

Joey shrugged. "You're a great friend, Chandler. I'd be happy if my sister went out with a guy like you."

"Thanks, man." Chandler smiled, slightly surprised.

"You're _not _dating any of my sisters, though, right?" Joey looked at him suspiciously, until Chandler sighed and shook his head. "Then, yeah! _Any_ woman would be lucky to have you!" He patted Chandler's arm.

Chandler rolled his eyes, taking a spoonful of his cereal.

"So, how long till you guys 'figure things out'?" Joey persisted.

"I don't know." Chandler shrugged. "Three - four months?"

It was Joey's turn to feel like he was going to get sick. "What?" he asked, shocked. "I can't keep it a secret for _that _long!"

"Look, I know it's hard," Chandler placed his bowl on the counter and continued in pacifying tones. "But we're your _best _friends. _I'm _your best friend. After all the things I've done for you, don't you think you owe me at least _this_?" He pleaded, his hands clasped in front of his chest. "We're not really ready to tell the others, Joe."

Joey looked worried. "I don't know, Chandler. A couple of weeks would be fine. At the most, a month. But four months… Joey would get too stressed if he had to keep it a secret for _that_ long." He stroked his forehead, looking already stressed.

"Fifty dollars," Chandler offered suddenly. "Keep it a secret for three months, and I'll give you fifty dollars."

Joey cocked an eyebrow. "Now you're paying me money to keep my mouth shut. Don't you thi-"

"Hundred dollars," Chandler increased his offer, willing to go to any extent to buy Joey's silence.

Joey hid a smirk. This arrangement _could _be lucrative for him. "I don't know, Chandler…" he trailed off, stroking his forehead again, faking indecisiveness.

"Two hundred for three months," Chandler leaned in, looking at Joey. "Two hundred dollars, that's the final offer. And you can't tell Monica about this. Deal?"

Joey grinned widely. "Deal." It indeed was lucrative.

~.~

"My parents have two things in common: plunging neckline, and their penchant for pre-pubescent young men."

She wouldn't usually have ice cream for dessert on a date, but tonight, she'd had a sudden craving.

The ice cream was cold, in fact so cold that she could barely recognize the chocolate flavor, but the sweetness of it soothed her tongue. She laughed as he continued to tell her the things he'd never told anyone before. Only he could turn such a horrible childhood story into something not so horrible.

She leaned forward and stroked his cheek with her fingertips. _The things he does to hide his hurt._

He stopped abruptly and frowned. "Did I tell you that we were going to do this the right way?"

She pulled back, shaking her head, looking perplexed. "What right way?"

"This," he motioned between them. "This is a traditional 'first date', where there will be no putting out."

"Oh," she nodded, laughing. She moved her foot under the table and nudged his, running her foot up his shin. His eyes widened in surprise, his cheeks turning a pale pink. She leaned in and whispered, "I am not making any promises." She grinned again and returned to her ice cream.

He stared back, stunned. 'Want' was what it'd been, but it was now turning into something else, something more. He was beginning to 'like' this woman, more than he'd ever liked her as a friend, more than he'd ever admit. The pitchfork bearing green-eyed devil on the left side of his brain hissed something that made his heartbeat soar, like something was terribly_ wrong_, and for a moment, he wished that he did not have a brain. '_Love_' was a word he hadn't used since Kathy, and he sure has hell wasn't going to use it now.

She held his gaze for a second and sighed softly, gathering his hands in hers. "I'm having a really great time, Chandler," she told him sincerely.

The thing that surprised him the most, though, was that _she _'liked' _him _back.

"Me, too," he smiled back, tightening his grasp on her hands. "See, this is exactly why I told you I'd be your boyfriend, back in Montauk. We make a great couple."

She remembered their trip to Montauk, and she still shuddered at the memory of being peed on, but his remark, even after a year, made her feel guilty. She had no idea how to respond. "Chandler, I… Back then- It was-" she fumbled with her words, but he put her out of her misery by cutting her off, halfway.

"Oh, that's fine." He shrugged magnanimously. "I know it was my mistake," he paused for effect. "I should have offered to put out back then."

Grateful that he'd gotten them past the awkward moment, she laughed again, shaking her head. "You think too highly of yourself."

Before he could reply, they were distracted by a commotion in the room.

A woman held a saliva and chocolate covered diamond ring in her hand, gasping and hyperventilating so loudly that she succeeded in garnering the attention of every person around her. The man who'd been sitting across her smiled nervously and got up from his chair to kneel down in front of her, taking the ring from her palm.

"OK, that's a little gross," Chandler whispered to Monica still looking at the scene. When he turned to look at her, he saw that she was watching the couple with a light smile, completely engrossed in what was happening.

On hearing him, she pulled her eyes away from them to look at him. "And _really_ cliché," she whispered back.

"What?" He frowned. "Proposing?"

"Elizabeth, will you marry me?" the guy was saying, and they heard the woman shout an ecstatic 'Yes!'. The whole room erupted into applause as the guy slipped the ring onto the woman's finger.

They clapped, too.

She turned back once the clapping faded. "No, the whole ring-in-cake thing," she clarified.

_So, no ring in cake,_ he made a mental note for a moment, until the green-eyed devil jabbed its pitchfork against his brain. His head reeled when he realized what he was thinking. _What are you listing the ways not to propose to her for?_

"Yeah," he nodded absentmindedly, feeling utterly nonplussed.

"What if she swallows it?" she continued, oblivious to his thoughts. "That'd be one disastrous proposal."

"Yes, absolutely." He nodded vigorously. Something was freaking him out, and he was trying hard to not let it show. "I mean, if I were to propose to you, I'd-" he stopped abruptly, his mind slowly replaying the words that he'd just blurted out.

She sat still, her face expressionless, watching the color slowly drain from his cheeks.

"I mean- what I meant- what I meant was – is-" he stammered, his panicked brain drawing a blank. The devil was sniggering.

Her lips curved into a huge smile and she began to laugh, shaking her head.

He didn't know whether he should be relieved or mortified. "Mon, I-" he started again.

He stopped when she leaned across the table, her fingers tightly grasping his shirt collar. "Bing, shut up and kiss me."

He sighed in relief, smiling into the kiss, finally succeeding in kicking out the green-eyed devil from his head, along with its pitchfork.

~.~

"Thank you for a wonderful evening," she mumbled against his lips, pinned between him and his apartment door.

"You're welcome for a wonderful evening," his words ghosted against her skin before his lips met hers again.

"We should- do- this again- sometime," she whispered between kisses. She placed her hands on his chest and pushed him away firmly. "Call me," she smiled, continuing their 'traditional first date' game.

He was no longer so keen on continuing it. He pulled himself closer to her again, trapping her between his arms. "I have a better proposition: Come to my place."

"Wow, you're really good with double entendres," she giggled, raising her eyebrow. "And I thought we were going to do this the traditional way."

"Yes, but I changed my mind." He shrugged. "Screw the traditional way. This way, I get to have sex."

She laughed, pushing him away again. "Okay, but I don't sleep with guys on the first date."

He raised an eyebrow as if to ask 'Really?'.

She glared at him with her hands on her hips. "What?"

He shook his head, smiling. "I thought you didn't make any promises."

She shrugged, moving towards her apartment. He caught her elbow and pulled her back against him, peering into her eyes. "Stay."

She held his gaze, her breath quickening against her will. "Okay," she murmured back. As long as he looked at her like that, she'd never be able to leave.

~.~

Frantically attempting to get closer to each other, in spite of the barrier that their clothes have created between them, Chandler and Monica stumbled into his apartment, their lips fused together. They pulled apart reluctantly when they heard Joey groan.

"Are you guys kidding me?" Joey stood up, turning off the TV. "Do I _have _to see that every single time?"

"Sorry, Joey," they both mumbled, amazed at Joey's ability to make them feel _ this_ guilty.

Joey shook his head in exasperation and left for his room, muttering something inaudible.

The things he had to see for $200.

Chandler turned to Monica when Joey's door closed. "So, where were we?" he asked as he led her into his bedroom.

"Let me see," she moved closer, undoing his tie. "I believe we were right here." She stood on her toes to kiss him.

He pulled back a second later. "Wait, wait."

"What?" she whined, moving to sit on his bed as he rummaged in his closet, pulling out the drawers.

"I…" he trailed off, finally finding the gift-wrapped book. He turned towards her. "I bought you a present for our one-month anniversary." He handed it to her, his demeanor turning suddenly nervous.

She took it from him, looking surprised. "Wow, I wasn't really expecting any present," she said, her fingers lingering on the wrapping.

"We never got to celebrate it back then," he smiled, waiting for her to open it.

"I'm guessing it's a book," she said, smiling back, undoing the wrapping paper slowly and carefully, not wanting to leave a mess. "It is a book!" she laughed as she pulled it out. She lifted it to her eyes, and read the title aloud. "Practical Intuition in-" she stopped abruptly, and looked up at him, like she was asking for his permission to continue.

He stared back, trying hard to read her expression, failing miserably.

Her eyes flicked to the book. "Practical Intuition in Love," she completed, her thumb tracing the rose on the book jacket. She flipped the book to read the blurb, both of them knowing that not a single word was entering her brain. She placed the book on the bed and finally looked up at him, smiling. "Thank you, Chandler. I love it."

As she leaned in to kiss him, he understood what had been bothering him all evening.

He was falling for her.

It was everything about her. The curve of her lips, the arch of her eyebrows. The folds of her ears, the blue of her eyes. The warmth of her breath on his skin.

He was falling hard and fast, and in retrospect, it didn't feel like anything was wrong. In fact, nothing else had ever felt so right.

~.~.~

_A/N: I had this chapter all written and ready to post, but my computer crashed, and that's the reason behind the delay. Sorry! :(_

_Okay, the two things that I've borrowed from the canon are – the $200 deal with Joey and 'Practical Intuition in Love'._

_The first is mentioned in season 6, in 'TOW the Apothecary Table' and as for the second one… well, you can actually see Monica reading that book in S05E07 and S05E09, and I think it's just __**incredibly**__ cute! :D _


	12. Chapter 11

_A/N: So, I forgot what the last chapter of this fic covered, and I had to read the whole thing again (there's nothing more painful than having to read one of your own earlier works). I guess this will be the final chapter to deal with what happens before Ross moves in, and so, obviously, this takes place sometime before 'TOW Ross Moves In'. _

_**NymphadoraTonks-RemusLupin** – I'm sorry I kept you waiting for so long... And **Trude,**_ _you have an impeccable timing :)_

_And to all the amazing people who reviewed 'The Truth About London', thank you! :D_

_**The last part here is in present tense, and it's intentional on my part. I prefer it that way.**_

Disclaimer: Nope, nope, I still own nothin'. There are some references to Louis Prima's 'Jump, Jive an' Wail' which happens to be the 1998 Gap commercial's music. Just stating that here because I don't own that song, either.

**That Thing Called Love**

**Chapter 11**

"I have a surprise for you," Monica whispered the moment she entered Chandler's room. "Guess what?"

It'd been nearly two months since London, and sneaking around had become a routine – a constant – in their lives. They knew at what time each other's roommates went to sleep, they always remembered to leave their apartment doors unlocked, and they never minded losing sleep.

This was worth it. It was worth losing sleep over. It was worth risking their friendship over.

"Sex on your balcony?" he grinned at her widely, leaning forward to kiss her as she climbed into his bed.

"No..." she drawled, grinning back.

She didn't know how he'd got this sudden 'balcony-sex' idea, but his obsession with it definitely seemed to grow as days went by. Not that she was totally against the idea, but after that one life-scarring episode with Fun Bobby during which Chandler had walked in on them, she knew the risks that came with it. Rachel could walk in, or worse, Ross might.

Although they always spied on ugly naked guy, the idea of him returning the favor was rather repulsive, too.

She remembered the look on Chandler's face when he'd walked in on her sexcapade with Fun Bobby. He'd appeared shocked for the first several seconds, then smiling a little, he'd turned and left. Later when she'd questioned him as to why he'd smiled, he'd replied, "It was my way of letting you know that I was completely _for _the idea of a threesome."

Now, he had a huge grin on his face, but it faded slightly when he realized that she was hiding something behind her back. "Is that a pregnancy test? Oh, god, you're pregnant, aren't you?"

"What?! No!" she glared at him, shaking her head. She sighed and collapsed on the bed, beside him. "Wow, what a way to ruin the mood."

"I'm sorry," he murmured, smiling sheepishly. "It's not totally ruined, though," he leaned in to kiss her neck, his hand traveling to her back to find out what she had in her hers.

"No, no, no, no..." she giggled, moving away. "_Guess_."

"Okay," he nodded, moving back, looking at her thoughtfully. "Um... Handcuffs?" he asked her excitedly, but frowned a second later. The image of Monica as a dominatrix did turn him on, but he'd had one very traumatic experience with Rachel's boss that'd involved handcuffs, and he was still wary. He'd definitely not say no if Monica asked, though.

Noticing his frown, she shook her head. "No."

"Oh... Some kind of whip or something?" he shrugged helplessly.

"You're really into the whole BDSM thing, aren't you?" she looked at him curiously.

"No," he chuckled. "My mind is blanking right now and I'm not able to think of anything else." He moved forward and trailed a finger along her collarbone. "So if you'd just tell me what it is, we could save a lot of time, and..." he trailed off, cocking one eyebrow.

"Alright," she relented grudgingly and showed him what her hand contained.

"Measuring tape?" he looked at her quizzically, but his brow cleared when he realized its purpose. "Oh..." he murmured, looking uncertain.

She smiled at him widely, reassuringly, her hands moving to pull down his boxers as she whispered seductively, "It's time to find out how _big_ really _is _Mr. Big."

~.~

Whenever Chandler used to complain that their walls were thin, Joey had always thought that he was exaggerating. Now he knew it to be one hundred percent true.

He buried his head beneath the pillow, trying to block out the noises that were coming from Chandler's room.

No one could be happier for Chandler and Monica than him, but from what he heard every single night, his only conclusion was that they went at it like two sex-starved bunny rabbits, and that was not a mental image he enjoyed very much.

He pressed the pillow closer to his ears, but he could still hear Monica giggling loudly.

"Alright, that's it," he muttered to himself as he threw the covers away and stood up. He pulled on his boxers, opened his bedroom door, went to Chandler's room and stopped outside. "Guys! Open the door!" he banged the door with his fist. "Open up!"

The door opened a crack several seconds later, and Chandler stuck his head out. "Yes, Joe?"

"I'm trying to _sleep _here, okay? So if-"

"Sorry, Joey," Monica's head popped from beneath Chandler's, and she looked genuinely contrite. "We'll try to keep it down," she whispered, nodding.

"Mon, um... I don't think that's going to happen," Chandler told her, glancing down as he arched an eyebrow. She giggled again.

Joey groaned in disgust, swiftly turning away and heading towards his room.

The things he had to see for $200.

He got into his bed, pulled Hugsy tightly to his chest and once again buried his head beneath the pillow, hoping that it would block out all the unwanted noises.

When he heard Monica say 'Mr. Big' in a soft, sensual voice, he knew it was a lost cause.

~.~

Chandler was squished between the Geller siblings on the couch. He discreetly shifted closer to Monica, knowing that Ross wouldn't be complaining. When there are four people on a couch, it's never likely to be comfortable, but he was grateful that he had Monica next to him. These were the only moments during which there could at least be a semblance of intimacy between them before nightfall.

A show, the name of which he didn't remember, was playing on the TV now, and they were all watching it in the girls' apartment. Joey was starring in it in a minor role and the other five were waiting for the tag scene in which their friend would appear.

_What a horrible, horrible show._

He loved the new Gap commercial, though.

He'd never say this to Joey, but the only thing that was getting him through the 30 minutes was the 30-second Gap ad, which he got to see during every commercial break.

The moves, the aerials, the music – everything about it was so very captivating. If the others hadn't been around, he'd have started to hum '_Baby, baby it looks like it's gonna hail'. _

His legs involuntarily jerked in rhythm with the music, but he stopped when Monica shot him a look of amusement.

"Looks like somebody's really enjoying Swing music," she grinned, leaning closer to him.

He grinned back, shrugging. "Well, it's kinda like Jazz, and I've always liked Jazz." He looked at the TV again, watching the dancers execute a perfect lift, a crazy idea striking him.

His dance skills have always been abysmal, and what was worse was that all his friends actually knew it.

He glanced at Monica warily, knowing for sure that she would laugh at his face if he suggested that they go out for a night of Swing dancing.

He kept staring at her, the words she'd said to him just a month back returning to him in a rush – _Don't do the dance._

When she arched an eyebrow at him, he shook his head, turning away.

"This is it! This is my scene! Shh!" Joey pointed at the television excitedly.

The woman on television dropped her handbag. Joey's character, being the good samaritan that he was, bent down to pick up the handbag and handed it to the lady. Joey lifted his leather cap as the woman thanked him profusely, neither of them noticing that a small slip of paper had escaped the confines of the handbag, and had been blown away by the wind.

"_So_?" Joey turned towards them expectantly as the credits rolled.

"What a great cliffhanger!"

"Wonderful job, Joe!"

"The lighting, the makeup, the costumes, everything, every little thing was just, just..."

They all lied without compunction, breathing a sigh of relief when Joey happily vacated his chair and left for the kitchen to call his parents.

"Can you believe I sat through half an hour of that show for _that?!" _Ross stared at the television incredulously. He shook his head a moment later and stood up. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. Bye, Mon," he kissed his sister on the cheek before he left.

Rachel, who'd been on a date with Danny from downstair, was smiling dreamily at the TV, but Phoebe stared at it like she had been scarred for life. The expressions on their faces unchanging, they rose from their seats and left the living room, Rachel leaving for her bedroom, and Phoebe, for the kitchen.

They were playing the ad again, and with just Monica beside him, he hummed the song under his breath, nodding to himself with conviction. So what if he sucked at dancing? At least they would get a few hours of privacy, and who knew, maybe they'd even have fun watching the other people dance.

"What are you doing tomorrow night?" he asked her quietly.

"Nothing," she shrugged. Grinning slowly, she leaned into him, "Maybe _you._"

As they sat grinning at each other like idiots, Joey cleared his throat loudly, glowering at them, still holding the phone to his ear as he spoke to his mother. If their 'secret' ever got out, it'd all be their doing, not his.

They smiled at him apologetically and moved away slightly.

"Okay, um..." Chandler continued apprehensively. "Can I take you out tomorrow then?"

"Do you even have to ask?" she smiled again, nodding. "Where are we going?"

To them, a 'date' was a rare thing. Their dates usually consisted of a walk in the Central Park, or a couple of hours at the movies. It was hard enough to keep their nighttime routine a secret, conventional dating would only make it harder.

"You'll find out tomorrow." He kissed her cheek, as if to bid her good night, and stood up. "Dress up, though," he added before he left, leaving her to stare at his back, wondering what he was up to.

_~.~_

"The swing kings," she states, looking at him skeptically.

"It could be fun!" he replies defensively, his heart sinking a little as he meets her wary look.

"Chandler, have you ever seen how you dance?" she asks, grinning in spite of herself.

"Well, yes," he concedes reluctantly, "I may not be a great dancer, but aren't you glad that we at least get a couple of hours away from the others?"

They slide into a booth as they sit beside each other.

The music is thumping away, and she has to admit, it is quite catchy. The idea of dancing doesn't seem too dull now, as she watches all the other couples hopping, twirling, twisting and lifting in rhythm with the music.

"On the second thought, this is fun, too," she smiles at him, watching him smile back at her like a happy little kid. "You're cute," she adds as she leans in to peck his lips.

She orders a scotch and he orders a white wine for himself, both of them watching the other couples in awe of their dance skills as they sip their drinks slowly.

A new song starts to play, and she nudges him. "Hey, it's that song from the commercial!"

"Yeah," he grins back and moves closer to her. "_Baby, baby it looks like it's gonna hail_," he sings in a low voice, like a murmur. "_You better come inside, let me teach-"_

"You sing better than you dance," she murmurs back, her hand finding his below the table. She stands up slowly and tugs his hand, "Come, lets dance," she smiles down at him.

"Wha- what?" he panics. "You wanna _dance_?"

"Of course, why not?" she counters, tugging his hand again.

"Have _you _ever seen how I dance?!" he asks, his eyes wide. "Believe me, you don't want to be seen dancing with me in public."

She giggles. "Chandler_..._ then why would you bring me here?"

"To watch," he replies instantly. "I thought you might enjoy _watching _other people dance."

"Well, you thought wrong. Come dance with me, _Chandler_," she whines. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"The worst that could happen? You may never want to sleep with me again, that's worst that could happen," he says solemnly.

She chuckles as she leans down, her hands framing his face. "Sweetie, there's nothing in the world that would make me want to stop sleeping with you," she reassures him, her lips against his cheek. "Not even your appalling dance skills." She pulls away, her hand on his arm. "Dance with me?" she requests again with a look of pleading in her eyes.

"Fine," he relents reluctantly. "Whatever happens, remember, this was your idea in the first place," he says as he stands up and follows her onto the dance floor.

They move together, trying to imitate what the others around them are doing. After a quick observation, he decides the moves of which couples to follow, and those of the ones that they shouldn't, for their moves are even worse than his.

"Ow!" she yelps in pain when he treads on her toes, but bursts out laughing a second later. "God, you so suck at this!"

"What did I tell you?" he retorts, laughing along with her. "Are we done with the dancing yet?" He pulls away, moving towards their booth.

"Not yet," she pulls him back. "Here, let's try this," she says as she places his hands on her waist, and her own hands around his neck. "See? This is more natural."

Her hips sway to the music and his keeps rhythm with hers, their movements becoming more easy, fluent, fast.

"I'm pretty sure this is not how you dance to Swing music," he laughs lightly, his thumb trailing along the cool skin of her back.

She wears a red strapless evening gown that brushes the floor every time she moves. "It's pretty hot, though," she whispers back as she leans against him for a second.

He grins at her in agreement, slowly finding the courage to try some new moves. He pulls his right hand away from her, and entwines his other hand with hers to hold it above his head as he twirls her around. Her eyes widen as he dips her low before he pulls her up hard against him, both of them breathless.

Their faces break into the widest grins as they try to catch their breath.

"Wow," she whispers, as though in astonishment.

"Wow indeed," he pecks her lips before pulling back as they continue to smile at each other.

The song changes suddenly, and he glances at the band before he turns to look at her again, his eyebrows raised.

She nods her assent, and they begin to dance again, finding their newfound confidence to be very helpful.

"I like dancing with you," he says after several seconds, touching her face lightly with his fingers.

She stops moving suddenly, and stands on her toes, cupping his ear in her hands. She leans in to whisper like she's trusting him with her most precious secret, "I like _you_."

His whole world stops spinning as he stares back at her. He knows he's breathing hard, he knows his heart is beating way too fast, but he can see that she knows how he feels, because she feels it, too.

He touches a tendril of her hair, letting the soft strand slip through his fingers. He leans in to kiss her lips, the kiss soft and exploring, as he tastes the scotch that she had been sipping.

_This is the woman,_ his heart tells him, _this is the woman I want to dance all my dances with. _

_This is the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with._

Her dress swishes when he pulls her closer. She places her hand gently over his thumping heart.

No one had told her that falling in love with her best friend would be so easy.

~.~.~

_A/N: __(Here's an awkward question – __**dizuz, **__I don't really know what a 'Youtube Fanfiction' is. Do any of you guys know?)_

_This is a long overdue 'thank you' – All the people who've __**ever**__ reviewed this fic, I thank you wholeheartedly. I haven't updated this in like 5 months, but you guys always put up with my erratic updating, and you constantly encourage me to continue my fics. _

_As a FF writer, I could ask for nothing more :)_


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